The recent "serial-sniper" attacks have everyone scared.
As students left Grounds for Fall Break, many to return to Northern Virginia, the sniper was just beginning what has accumulated to 11 shootings, nine of which have been fatal. The accuracy, randomness and overall elusiveness of this person has given him limitlesspower over a huge population, as people fear and speculate on where he might strike next. The media has a responsibility to the public it claims to serve. They should not feed into the fear or into the sniper's power by breaking stories about evidence that may hinder investigations and filling broadcasts with superfluous stories of the sniper.Instead, they should uphold their responsibilities as journalists by keeping the public informed, assisting the police by releasing only pertinent information, and leaving the police to do the investigative work.
Last week, after the shooting of a 13-year-old boy outside his middle school, a tarot card was found next to a shell casing that said "Dear policeman, I am God." CBS, Channel 9 in Washington, D.C., broke the news story when they received word from an unnamed source -- a source that according to Montgomery County police chief Charles A. Moose "had not been briefed" and was "putting people in this community at risk" for the "pleasure of being on television" (Sniper Left Taunting Note, Police Say, The Washington Post, Oct. 9). In seeking to be the first to report on the issue, the media released information that the investigators had not intended to release right away, if ever. Moose begged the news media to "let us do our job." He went on to say that if the community wanted the media to be the investigators and probe this case, then he would have a community vote and hand over the job, a sarcastic comment but a relevant one. The media needs to report sensibly without stepping on the toes of the police while they investigate what is proving to be a difficult case.
Perhaps if students have been too busy to turn on the TV or read an outside newspaper they will not realize the amount of media attention that the sniper shootings have been receiving on a daily basis. Granted, it is an important news story. But many behaviorists have noted that the sniper probably thrives on the attention he is receiving and is perhaps taking his cues on where to strike next from community fears. According to Brent Turvey, a forensic scientist, "He's reacting to the press
He's proving to everybody that he's not a coward, he's not a loser
The thing that started him off, that was spent on the first day" (Sniper Challenging Police, Enjoying Limelight, Experts Say, The Washington Post, Oct. 12).
As the sniper continues on his seemingly undirected killing spree, he gets braver and braver. Last Friday he fired on a man at a gas station with a state trooper just across the street. Most recently, he fired at a woman in a covered parking lot with a number of witnesses present. He realizes that he has gotten away with it so far. The regular news conferences broadcast live on every basic and cable news network simply show him that he is winning -- that he can strike again and get away with it.
Harvey Goldstein made a good point when he asked the question, "by announcing that our children were being kept safe in locked-down schools, did we provoke him to do it?" ("News we can lose: Due to circumstances within our control, we're encouraging the sniper," The Washington Post, Oct. 13). Scary thought. But it makes sense. As he gets bolder, he seeks to show his daring by doing what the media and police have deemed unlikely or too difficult. All the personal pleas made by the police and broadcast by the media only serve to egg him on. Begging a killer to stop, calling the attacks "personal" does not make him stop and they show him that he is winning.
More than likely the person who is perpetrating these attacks is legitimately insane and the constant media attention and talk of the fear that has spread through communities is all feeding his flame. The media, as well as the politicians and police officers who deal with the media, have a responsibility to the people they serve by respecting certain things as privileged information and seeking to quell fears as opposed to feeding into them. Goldstein says correctly, "It's about the balance of responsiveness and responsibility."
The American media often is accused of reporting inappropriate stories or reporting stories inappropriately. In the case of the "serial-sniper," media outlets of all forms must find a balance between reporting on this issue and feeding into it. Report the basic facts and release information to the public that may help apprehend the perpetrator. Do not speculate or try to "scoop" other outlets or the police. Report on other topics. For their part, the police should devote their time to investigating the sniper, not to dealing with the voracious media. If the media, police and public work together to fight the fear, to slow the constant media barrage about it, and to allow the police to effectively investigate all aspects of the case, then perhaps this killer can be caught.
(Kate Durbin is a Cavalier Daily
viewpoint writer.)
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