“There are two sides to every story” is a common ideological phrase used within today’s society. This phrase was particularly reintroduced during the review of the massacre that took place in Las Vegas. Consequently, there are many conflicting views as to why he decided to engage in such activity, but there is also a popular thought of if anyone knew about the actions he was going to take that day. Most are still skeptical and in shock about the situation, however, some chose to question the girlfriend of the shooter, Marilou Danley. To emphasize this point, two news networks, CNN and Fox News both reviewed her knowledge of the situation in articles “Las Vegas gunman's girlfriend says she didn't know he was planning shooting” by James Griffiths, …show more content…
Nic Robertson and Evan Perez of CNN and “Las Vegas shooter’s girlfriend denies prior knowledge of attack” by The Associated Press of Fox News. Although both media outlets portrayed the same subject within a mere twenty-four hours of each other, there are critical differences between both of them. Through extensive analysis, it is shown that Fox portrays Danley as a mere accomplice to the murder while CNN sympathizes with Danley, depicting her as innocent. Throughout the article on FOX News, there are a series of words used to create a negative connotation of the subject.
The beginning sentence of this article “The girlfriend of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock said Wednesday that ‘it never occurred to me in any way whatsoever’ that he was planning the massacre that killed 58 people and injured 489 others during a country music concert on the Strip,” (The Associated Press)The words ‘gunman’ and ‘massacre’ create negative connotations relating back to Stephen Paddock which can cause the reader to think that Paddock is a bad person based on those two words. Also, by first stating that she is the girlfriend of this man, it makes the reader question what type of person she is. Furthermore, this thought was then heightened by using a statement from her testimony right after stating, “‘I knew Stephen Paddock as a kind, caring, quiet man,’” This statement alone could serve as a way to create sympathy towards Paddock and his girlfriend but since it was followed by the statistics of people killed and injured, it generates more hatred and disgust towards them both. Thus, resulting in partial blame towards his girlfriend. With this in mind, after mentioning the fact that she knew little about the situation at hand, the author moved on to the testimonies of other associates related to the …show more content…
case. On the other hand, the CNN article showcasing the same topic sheds some light on the positive side of Danley.
The introductory sentence states, “The girlfriend of Las Vegas shooter Paddock says she saw no signs he was planning ‘something horrible,’ and that she is ‘devastated’ by the deaths and injuries he caused when he rained bullets down on an outdoor music concert.” (Griffiths) In contrast to FOX News, the authors of this article use the words “shooter” rather than “gunman” which serves to be more neutral than the latter. Also, this article also goes in depth and provides more excerpts of Danley’s testimony than FOX News does. For example, by including “Danley working with authorities, sister says” and “‘She’s a good person, a gentle soul, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a friend,’ the sister said, adding that Danley was having trouble coping with the tragedy because ‘she’s a very weak person.’”(Griffiths) it creates sympathy towards Danley by showing how much of a regular, fragile person she is. This also allows for readers to relate to her since it is the current state that most people are
in. In comparison of the two articles, both authors use sources that are related in some way to Paddock to establish credibility. For example, in the CNN article, “One sister told Seven News said that Danley didn’t know anything ahead of the shooting.” (Griffiths) the testimonies of the sisters of Danley were used to establish her innocence by using family members. Also, in the FOX News article, “‘He was a private guy. That’s why you can’t find anything about him,” his brother, Eric Paddock, said from his home in Florida.” (The Associated Press) the quote from his brother was used to emphasize the fact that there is little evidence into finding the reasons why Paddock committed such a crime. Additionally, both articles contain an appeal to logic by stating the amount of money that was wired by Paddock to the Philippines, $100,000, which increases the skepticism of Paddock due to it being a large sum of money. Through the analysis of two media outlets, it is proven that there is two sides to every story. Even though both CNN and FOX News have covered the same topics within their respective news articles, they both show different perspectives on it. While FOX News focuses more on the general ideas of the massacre with testimonies of Danley and Paddock’s brother to show credibility, CNN News creates a storyline of Danley’s life and whereabouts to portray her innocence. In all, based on the investigation of both articles, it is learned that there are biased based articles, creating two sides of the full story.
In the Frontline documentary Raising Adam Lanza, reporters Alaine Griffin and Josh Kovner from “The Hartford Courant” investigate the possibilities that prompted Adam Lanza to commit the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza didn’t leave behind a trail. Lanza didn’t leave a diary, wasn’t socially involved (had no friends), and destroyed his computer that many believe have the answers as to what induced his character to murder 20 children, six adults, and his own mother. The documentary commenced with Griffin and Kovner exploring the life of Nancy Lanza who had been portrayed by the media as the person to blame for her son’s actions but also to be questioned on whether or not she truly was a victim.
The topic of murder itself can be a very emotional subject for some people. But, when you add in the fact that she had 38 known witnesses that did nothing, it makes the story and subject much more heartbreaking. The first example of an emotional appeal in the editorial is, “All we want is a phone call. We don’t even need to know who is making it.” This quote was said by Police Lieutenant Bernard Jacobs. The purpose is to show that anyone that hesitated to get involved, in fear of being questioned, or having to go to court, still could have done something. By saying the witnesses could have remained anonymous, creates a sense of guilt for the witnesses that only watched, and turned the other cheek. Jacobs goes on further to say, “He said he figured nobody would do anything to help.” This is what Kitty Genovese’s murder said after they caught him. This is a very emotional sentence because it is showing that he knew Kitty would be a good victim to target. He knew that people were only worried about themselves, that they wouldn’t step in and help. To readers the sentence is a wake up call, that some people, that may end up a killer, can judge other people's human
In order to convey his argument O’Mara must first gain his reader’s trust. To do this, the author establishes his authority and his credibility through the editorial note, to show that he is knowledgeable to speak about the problem. Mark O’Mara’s authority checks out because he is a criminal defense attorney and he writes about “issues related to race, guns and self-defense in the context of the American criminal justice system”. So he is exposed to lot criminal acts some of which may be gun-related and so he knows how serious it is or the statistics on of which the mass shooting have increased. O’Mara appears sympathetic to his cause, as he uses facts based of emotions to make the reader feel and understand the point he is trying to make. To further credit his sources, he cites them from other notable news outlets like ABC and CNN news. The use of ethos strengths his argument because it gives the reader the confidence to believe in what the author is saying, as opposed to an author whose work is self-published and without any credentials. But O’Mara accusatory tone that implies Americans are don’t care about the shooting, drives away his American readers because it may be
A Bestselling author and co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” is a remarkably confident lady and TV-journalist Mika Brzezinski whose on-air protest between entertainment news & “hard news” received a large number of supports and fans’ responses on 26 June 2007 in which she had refused to read the news about a release of Paris Hilton from Jail rather she considered more important Senator Richard Lugar with President Bush on the war of Iraq breaking news. She stands on these issues rippled over the internet quickly and similar incidents continue on-air on July 7, 2010 on a report about Levi Johnston and Lindsay Lohan over hard news stories with the title “News you can’t use.”
The tragedy that happened in Newton, Connecticut swept the world with a variety of emotions. Many individuals became angry or saddened by the tragedy. I think more of the individuals were angry of what happened to those 20 innocent children. Parents send their children to school thinking that they are safe but in this case ended in tragedy. I am going to discuss similarities and differences between two articles. I am also going to discuss how this shooting is a symbolic crime, how likely policy changes will be enacted and how unlikely they are to be enacted.
By appealing to several different views, Wheeler is able to grab every reader’s attention. Using schools as his focus point grabs the reader’s attention on a personal level. A school is a place where your children, your friends, your spouses all could be, and we still aren’t motivated to change our gun control laws. Tragic events do not have to happen like those that occurred at Virginia Tech, The Jewish Day care in Los Angeles, and Pearl High School. Wheeler believes concealed carry should be allowed in every school. Let’s make the students and teachers of these schools and colleges their own heroes. Wheeler says we must embrace all of the varied disciplines contributing to preparedness and response. We must become more willing to be guided and informed of empirical finding. School officials base policies on irrational fears. Wheeler states, “What is actually worse, the fear of what we think might happen, or the massacres that actually did occur?” Wheelers essay is very well thought out and uses fear, credibility, and factual evidence to support his beliefs. My belief is we should allow teachers and students to have guns at schools, as long as they have gone through training to do
On January 8, 2011, Loughner attacked and “killed six people and wounded 13 others, including…then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona” (cnn.com). In the CNN article “Loughner pleads guilty to 19 counts in Tucson, Arizona, mass shooting,” there is a hyperlink stated as, “Warning signs of violence: What to do.” What is important about this is that the hyperlink leads to another CNN article about James Holmes, the Colorado theater shooter. Within the Holmes article there is another hyperlink stated as, “Warning signs from a troubled mind: What parents should do” that leads to a page about Loughner that mentions that Loughner could have “underlying mental health issues such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder” (cnn.com). Though it may not be intentional, these hyperlinks within the articles support society’s view that there is a connection between mental illness and violence. What’s further shocking is what the judge said about Loughner in court. Within the article Judge Larry Alan Burns is quoted as saying, “he’s a different person in appearance and affect” (cnn.com). What this quote suggests is that in the minds of society there is a difference between how the sane look and how the insane appear. However, in all fairness, I do not know what Judge Larry Alan Burns really means by his statement. I can only infer what he meant by the context of the article. If Burns meant something else by his
In recent years, the subject of crime has become an increasingly important theme of political, academic, and public debate. In particular, the media today is more focused on victims than it has ever been before. Through media representations of the ‘ideal victim’, this essay will subsequently show how the media are able to construct and re-affirm pre-existing traditional ideologies within the public realm. In effect, this assignment will critically assess the concept of an ‘ideal victim’ and show how the media have used this when describing crime.
The media has taken the Hannah Graham case by storm - it has gotten local, national, and even international coverage. For the past month, I have seen a new article about the case almost everyday. I watched it slowly go from local newspapers in Charlottesville that had been posted by friends who go to UVA who were hoping people would know of her whereabouts, to articles in CNN talking about how Jesse Matthew (the suspect) is a serial rapist and murderer. The case presents itself as a very intriguing case - completely Law and Order SVU worthy with all the twists and turns. However, with all of this public interest in the case, some news outlets are sensationalizing information or even reporting false facts in order to seem as if they have the
U.S congress woman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head. This happened in Arizona, a state where guns are allowed in open carry meaning everyone has option to carry a gun as long as it is not concealed. When this congress woman was shot, the shooter became enraged. After shooting 3 more people his gun got jammed, this is when a civilian jumped him and stopped his irrational behavior. This brings up many different opinions on whether guns should be allowed or taken away. John Luik author of the article “The Increased Availability of Guns Reduces Crime” and Sabina Thaler the author of the article “The Claim of Increased Gun Availability Reduces Crime is Unfounded” are two examples of people having different opinions on such a debatable topic. Both authors talk about guns taking people’s lives, Thalers article focuses on guns taking innocent people’s lives, and Luiks article focuses on guns being innocent people’s protection.
During the covering of the shooting, News 13 was on its sadly well-honed tragedy TV cruise control, correspondents doing stand-ups behind yellow police tape, grieving families, local politicians, witnesses of the aftermath and lots of speculation about the killer’s motivation for doing this. Firstly, the Orlando nightclub shooter, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance
In his essay, Grisham makes many heated claims towards Oliver Stone and his film, but I must concede to the fact that one of the victims (Bill Savage) was one of Grisham’s close personal friends. That was most likely the reason for the heated tone of Grisham’s remarks. Along with Grisham’s personal attachment to the shootings, he is also a lawyer and writer whose stories could have possible influences on people, therefore, giving him a different perspective on the situation as a whole. My last concession to Grisham’s essay is, as he acknowledges on page 573 of his essay, that he only has Sarah’s testimony to use for reference. Even with those concessions there is still plenty of questions concerning the two teens’ story.
When the victim does not fit the ideal victim attributes which society has familiarised themselves with, it can cause complications and confusion. Experts have noticed there is already a significant presence of victim blaming, especially for cases involving both genders. The fear of being blamed and rejected by the public is prominent in all victims. Victim blaming proclaims the victim also played a role in the crime by allowing the crime to occur through their actions (Kilmartin and Allison, 2017, p.21). Agarin (2014, p.173) underlines the problem of victim blaming is due to the mass of social problems and misconceptions within society. The offender can have “an edge in court of public opinion” if victim blaming exists, resulting in the prevention of the case accomplishing an effective deduction in court (Humphries, 2009, p.27). Thus, victims will become more reluctant to report offences because of their decrease in trust in the police and criminal justice system, leading to the dark figure of
One of the things that have become evident throughout the past is that gun control issues are being pushed through various conspiracy theories; for example, the shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Skeptics believe that the massacre was a joint government and media operation to create support to repeal the second amendment (Stuart, 1). Logically, this actually makes sense. Although it is easier to believe that what happened on December 14, 2012 was legitimate, it is possible that America has been duped. What better way to rally support to ban federal assault weapons than to create a scenario or situation that enables guns to kill innocent children and pull an emotional heart string on millions world-wide? Therefore, if the said tragedy was actually an ingenious plan hatched by the people who lead the country of America, then it appears to have worked in their favor. Since the shooting, Congress has pushed for sweeping reforms. In addition to Congress actively making changes due to the shooting that very well may have been conjured up by their ow...
To begin with, there were several events leading up to the shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech. Cho Seung Hui, 23, an English major from Korea, was identified as the person responsible for the shootings (New York Times). Many students and faculty members described Cho as a very quiet and lonely person who very seldom said anything. He always had a very depressed look to him as if he had someone really close pass away. It seemed as if no one really knew who he was or what he was about other than just walking by him or seeing him in class. Cho attended professor Nikki Giovanni’s creative writing class and it wasn’t long before she began to question some of his work (Washington Post). Cho’s work seemed to be very morbid and worry some of his classmates up to the point that his peers quit attending class because they began to be scared of what he could be capable of. Cho’s writing was so dark a...