Research Information System
EUPOP 2013, Turku, Finland, 31 July - 02 August 2013, vol.I., pp.3
MEDIA COVERAGE OF VIOLENT EVENTS ABOUT CHILDREN
Nilüfer Pembecioğlu, Istanbul University, TURKEY
+905357789505
Uğur Gündüz, İstanbul University, TURKEY
+905557609355
Abstract
21st century is becoming more and more complex through the developments of media, civilization and democracy. On one hand, the ‘Democracy Education’ and ‘Media Literacy’ programs are established and qualified better citizens of the world were granted. But on the other hand, the world is standing in the middle of a security crisis. On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, age 20, fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members and wounded two at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the village of Sandy Hook in the town of Newtown, Connecticut. According to the news, before driving to the school, Lanza had shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, at their Newtown home. After killing students and staff members, Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head as first responders arrived. However, this was not much different from Breivik killing 77 victims in Massacre Norway and saying he was defending Norway from multiculturalism.
This paper aims to reveal the ‘facts’ regarding the media coverage and how the events were reflected in the national and international media. These two events bring us the question of concepts of democracy again, especially, regarding the security issues such as the freedom of buying guns and the results.
Key Words: School Shooting, Freedom, Media Coverage, Security