Citation

Hancock KA, Haldeman DC. Psychol. Sex. Orientat. Gend. Divers. 2017; 4(2): 152-159.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/sgd0000228

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The relative unresponsiveness of the news media to the racism and homophobia of the Orlando shootings was deeply disturbing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The focus on terrorism and gun control (major topics in the 2016 presidential campaign) neglected the fact that this massacre was a hate crime. This article describes some of the fundamentals involved in the process of reporting the news and decision-making in the media that likely contributed to the narrow reporting of this tragedy. It also addresses heteronormativity, the impact of neglecting to highlight racism and homophobia in this shooting, and what might have been gained by more appropriate interpretation of the shooting as a hate crime. Additional suggestions are also offered regarding the roles that psychologists can play. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
Impact Statement

Public Significance Statement--This article examines the processes that influenced the news media coverage of the Orlando shooting, the failure to focus on the massacre as a hate crime, and the issues associated with reporting LGBT hate crimes. It calls attention to the importance of how a news item is framed and the possible contributions psychologists can make in informing the frame. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en