In 2014 The Heart Foundation had estimated that an ABC Catalyst report that disregarded the benefit of cholesterol medications could cause up to 3000 hearts attacks over the next 5 years.
On July 15th 2015 this debate continued, with news reports stating that more than 60,000 Australians cut back on or stopped taking cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins after a program questioning their effectiveness aired on Australian TV. University of Sydney researchers found an immediate impact after the science program Catalyst aired on the ABC in October 2013. Researchers looked at the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medication records of 191,000 people and found 14,000 fewer people dispensing statins per week than expected. Researchers said an estimated 60,897 fewer people filled their statins prescriptions in the eight months following the Catalyst broadcast. The programs prompted a huge backlash, particularly from doctors and specialists who say statins have been clinically proven to cut the risk of heart disease. On their website, the ABC pointed out: Please note: As was emphasised in the Heart of the Matter program, viewers should not make any changes to their prescribed regimen of medications without seeking appropriate medical advice. Look at some of the links (right) for further information about this story. |
Columbine Killings (1999)
On the 20th April 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebond went on a shooting killing spree at their school; Columbine High School. They killed 12 students, 1 teacher and themselves. In addition to the people they killed, 24 others were injured.
It has been reported that these boys were influenced by the following media texts:
As a result of this incident, many believed that it was the media that heavily influenced the boys to carry out this act, specifically, the music and lyrics of Marilyn Manson were seen to be the most influential. Keep this in mind when discussing the case study, as you may be able to draw interesting discussion from the media types themselves (music, gaming and film) to substantiate an argument about the perceived level of influence from media types / forms. To help us understand the context within which this case study took place, it may be interesting for you to watch this interview segment (right) which highlights what some Americans think about Gun Control.
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AURORA SHOOTING (2012)
On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside of a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.
The sole suspect, James Eagan Holmes, was arrested in his car parked outside the cinema minutes later. It was the deadliest shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and had the largest number of casualties of any shooting in U.S. history. Prior to the shooting, the suspect rigged his apartment with explosives, which were defused by a bomb squad one day after the shooting. The Media's Influence? The shooting prompted an increase in security at movie theaters across the U.S. that were screening the same film, in fear of copycat incidents. ** Keep this in mind for our discussions on the reasons for Media Regulation ** The shooting also led to a spike in gun sales in Colorado, as well as political debates about gun control in the United States. Source: Wikipedia |
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War of the Worlds (1938)
On the 30th October 1938 Orson Welles performed a radio play or the HG Wells' book War of the Worlds. Welles included fake news reports during the play. At the beginning of the radio play there was a statement explaining this was a dramatisation, however, another popular radio show on a different channel ran over time, so a lot of the audience missed this statement when they changed the channel.
The audience believed that they were actually under attack from Mars. Their reactions ranged from hiding in their house, to fleeing on the roads and arming themselves with guns. Recent discussion has emerged questioning whether the response to the War of the Worlds broadcast was in fact as drastic as once thought. See the article below.
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Warlock (1995)
In Canada on the 8th July 1995, Sandy Charles, 14 killed a 7 year old boy. He carved flesh and fat from the body, cooked it and ate them. He believed that by eating the flesh of an unbaptized child he would gain the magical powers to fly. He is said to have been influenced by the movie Warlock (1989) a film that follows the story of a witch. Charles was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
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SLENDERMAN (2014)
On Saturday May 31st May 2014 two 12-year-old girls allegedly stabbed their 12-year-old friend 19 times. The vicious attack and the girls' alleged motive: to prove the existence of a fictional creature named "Slenderman."
"Many people do not believe Slenderman is real [and we] wanted to prove the skeptics wrong," one of the girls said, according to the complaint filed by the Waukesha Police Department in southeastern Wisconsin. The two 12 year old suspects are able to be named by the media because they are being charged as adults. |
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Manhunt (2004)
In the UK, on the 27th February 2004, Warren Leblanc, 17, repeatedly stabbed 14 year old Stefan Pakeerah with a claw hammer.
Leblanc's mother Giselle, blamed the game Manhunt. She stated in court that he was obsessed with the game and the way he committed the murder is similar to the game. Leblanc is currently in jail for the murder. |
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In Thailand, Polwat Chino, 19, stabbed a taxi driver to death, he linked his killing with the game Grand Theft Auto IV. He has been quoted as saying he wanted to see if it was easy to rob a taxi like in the game.
Chino caught a taxi and when it was time for him to pay the fare he stabbed the 54 year old taxi driver to death. After the stabbing he tried to steal the taxi with the dead driver in the backseat, but he couldn't drive. He later told police he couldn't drive but figured it wouldn't be that hard. |