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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 20, 2009
/ 26 Nissan 5769
Let's give killers their due: Anonymity
By
Michael Smerconish
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Here's the payoff for the 41-year-old man who barged into a Binghamton, N.Y., immigration center and killed 13 people before turning the gun on himself: 369,000. That count, the number of hits his name generates when entered into a Google search, had been more than 1 million immediately after his mayhem. That number doesn't include mentions on radio and television.
That means he, like others before him, got what he was looking for. Next time, let's withhold the murderer's name.
The Binghamton killer didn't deserve the posthumous thrill of achieving any level of fame - or infamy - which he solicited via a rambling two-page letter that he sent to News 10 Now, a Syracuse television station. In the missive, dated two weeks before the massacre, he introduced himself to readers before detailing how undercover police officers drove him over a period of years to perpetrate the violence in Binghamton. "And you have a nice day," reads its final line.
We've seen letters like this from others. Between the two violent outbursts in which he killed 33 people, including himself, the 23-year-old responsible for the massacre at Virginia Tech two years ago found time to send a package of letters, pictures and videos to NBC News in New York.
In one video, he promised: "You thought it was one pathetic boy's life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people." At another point, he referred to the two killers of more than a dozen people at Columbine High School as "martyrs."
That duo had a grand scheme. They originally intended to execute their plan on April 19, 1999, the fourth anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people - no doubt as a means of eclipsing that day's carnage. In one homemade video found after the Columbine massacre, they revealed their intention to cause "the most deaths in U.S. history."
None of this surprises Frank Farley, professor of psychology at Temple University and former president of the American Psychological Association. Farley's area of expertise is psychology and human behavior.
According to Farley, research suggests that the desire to achieve power or induce terror are among the motives for perpetrators of mass homicides. Some could be attracted to the perceived impact or influence their actions would bring. Others are after the "thrill value" of their crime.
Meanwhile, Farley explained, we're in the midst of an era of "disinhibition" - a "process of increasing self-revelation, of letting it all hang out." That's not inherently bad in and of itself. But "expressing one's inner turmoil through public violence" can be its most extreme incarnation.
In short, some killers are looking to earn notoriety from their crimes. Today's 24/7 media world is the surest vehicle for attaining that goal. There's no downturn in the news cycle, and between traditional outlets, blogs, satellite radio and 700 TV channels, the media beast always needs to be fed. No wonder the man who murdered three police officers in Pittsburgh last weekend told police he intends to write a book during his long stay in prison. A cop killer on this side of the state has already done so.
"Before our media-saturated age, you could commit some heinous crime, but the larger world would know little of it. So the extent of your impact would be small," Farley told me. Today, on the other hand, "a global platform is provided."
So why not withhold the names and pictures of the perpetrators seeking that global platform? Instead, tell us their ages and basic background information. The goal would be to diminish the appeal of violence to some prospective killers - to rob them of "their signature, their ownership of the crime," as Farley put it.
Of course, some will argue that ours is an open society and withholding a killer's name and image would be an infringement upon the media's duty to report what happened. But the point isn't to sweep violent crimes under the rug or discourage reporters from sharing the profiles of criminals and the details of their crimes. It's to discourage those prospective killers whose crimes would be accompanied by a media relations blitz.
Would that media coverage and investigation into the Binghamton massacre be any less insightful or informative if it didn't include the murderer's name and picture? Hardly. In fact, NBC withheld the last name of the killer's sister when she appeared on the Today show on Monday. It made her apology no less compelling.
The real question is this: Would the omission of the names and pictures help prevent a future rampage? Farley had it right when he told me: "I don't know what effects withholding the name might have, but even if it might reduce even one potential perp's interest in committing public violence, perhaps it should be tried."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
03/12/09 Uninsured who can't afford medical care lose a lot more
02/06/09 My debate with Musharraf on hunt for bin Laden
01/29/09 Torture must remain an option
01/15/09 Making a case for suing Madoff
12/22/08 A difficult but rational chat about plans
12/17/08 Facebook epidemic: More than 120 million have joined, many too old for this nonsense
12/01/08 The high price of downsizing the news biz
11/14/08 Prescience on greed, arrogance of a system
09/29/08 Closer look at party lines
08/26/08 Obama's pick creates GOP opportunity
08/21/08 Fishing with the Angry Everyman
07/31/08 The perils of e-mail: Ponder, then click
05/22/08 Two very different sides of the Internet
02/12/08 Sublimely ridiculous suits
11/28/08 Cell phones cut out secondary circle of kinship
09/26/07 What do we owe those who have died in Iraq?
08/30/07 A Navy SEAL's gut-wrenching tale of survival
07/30/07 First it was a faux pas, now it's a new word
© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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