I wish there was more accountability of the commercial news media for promotion of violence 🗡

Rarely are there calls to arrest news reporters, journalists and the CEOs of media conglomerates except by the most fringe politicians. While using the justice system against the free press could be abused, there is no accountability in the current system that allows journalists to revel in violence and news organizations CEOs to profit over violence.

All the evidence points to violence causing violence. You report and revel in violence and mayham, you normalize violence and encourage more of it. News reporters have become more careful about how they talk about suicide these days but not violence. They even go so far to remind people that mental health services are available for suicidal individuals but no such disclaimers exists after stories about violence.

There is news and public discourse value in reporting and analysis of crime and violence statistics in the aggregate. If a highway or public building is closed due to an incident, then the news should report it. Are there issues with police response, justice courts or other public officials actions? Report it. But private incidents of violence should remain private, and certainly not glorified by the press with stories of sobbing parents with dead children.

I support a ban on the commercialization of violence – that is the sale of violent video games, books, newspapers or television programs. But that doesn’t mean that private individuals shouldn’t have the right to express their own beliefs. But just not for profit or commercial purposes. There could be much greater restrictions on commercial speech without infringing on the individual’s right to speak on issues of concern. You don’t need to own a printing company to be heard any more today.