Gun violence: in SA’s case, a solution to these desperate tragedies is possible
The rising tide of blood and acrimony
Eleven people were killed by gunmen in an ambush at the Marikana informal settlement near Philippi in the Western Cape last week. It was, by any measure, a mass killing worthy of national outrage. But, perhaps because we have become inured to violence, it was just another news story that came and went. These days, it takes spectacular violence to grab attention. And so, when a gunman raked a crowd of country music fans with sustained automatic gunfire, killing 59 and injuring more than 500 in Las Vegas, it was global headline news. For a while, anyway. All this wanton violence raises questions about how the media should approach such incidents. The facile debate over how much attention the local incident gets compared with the global one is getting stale. One could even argue that less attention should be given to all such incidents. After all, if it is attention that the perpetrators seek, should they be granted it in large headlines and sustained coverage by television stations? T...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.