Every day, American lives are snuffed out because consumer technology made for killing is used as it was designed. Most of us are unaware of the daily toll because it happens so often that it’s no longer news and we’ve become numb to it, according to Matt Jordan, associate professor and department head of film production and media studies at Penn State, in a new Insights from Experts post.
In the article, Jordan points out that instead of providing useful information and context for citizens to use in the process of governance, our news media often diffuses any sustained conversation with subterfuge and noise because it’s good for business.
“Until our news media changes the way that it functions, until we can have a productive conversation about how to solve this uniquely American crisis, the gun violence epidemic is likely to continue apace. Until reporters focus on the issue and what citizens want – which is overwhelmingly stricter regulation of weapons designed to kill – and stop amplifying the best misdirections, deflections, and ready-made frames that the gun lobby money can buy, our capacity as a democracy to solve our shared problems will remain limited.”
Read more here.
For more on information on gun violence, mental health, Covid-19 and other issues, visit the Insights from Experts website — a partnership of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute and the Center for Health Care and Policy Research.