No abstract

A recent spike in mass killings has generated a vivid, public discussion concerning the underlying motives of perpetrators and prevention strategies to help avoid future incidents. As an informed public, it is our duty to properly understand the truth behind these terrible, violent actions and decide for ourselves how to craft policy and institute change. With this in mind, it is imperative that the pertinent information is presented with a high degree of accuracy, consistency, and overall faithfulness to the truth. Major media outlets have great autonomy when determining what is seen by the public eye, which can be very problematic in some cases. While radical Islamic groups commit some of the most dramatic and shocking acts of violence, the media must be careful not to misrepresent the circumstances or overdraw the realm of blame for attacks on American soil. 9/11's historically violent and terrifying attacks appear to have influenced the media and public mindset towards harboring inclinations that Muslims are more likely to carry out such attacks.Group blame and an inclination to declare 'terrorist motives' appear to be far more frequent when it concerns perpetrators with known Islamic ties. In contrast, the coverage of non-Muslim perpetrators illustrates how the media commonly attributes motive to an individual's psychological disorder and dismisses it as an isolated incident. The prevailing trend in media coverage leads the public to assume Muslim perpetrators of violent actions have terrorist ties while assuming non-Muslim perpetrators have a psychological disorder. A shooting at Fort Hood, Texas committed by Nidal Hasan in 2009 shares eerie similarities with a shooting by a non Muslim Ivan Lopez in 2014. The quest to find the truth behind such attacks is very

No abstract