Monday, October 09, 2006

Tracking The Media

The Canadian media have, more or less, embraced the copycat effect. They are open to exploring the process, the predictive factor it allows, and the evidence, with regard to the triggering impact that occurred when the September 13 events at Montreal's Dawson College ignited the present wave of school shootings. The USA press was not so open, before the mirror events of Bailey, Colorado, and Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, reinforced the notion of a copycat effect on that side of the border.

Various articles about my predictions and insights on the comparative nature between the 2006 school shootings including Dawson College and the latter contagion incidents have appeared in the following:
 
"Author predicts pattern to 'copycat' crimes"
Ottawa Citizen,  Canada - October 9, 2006

"Copycat slayings coming"
Edmonton Journal, Canada - Oct 8, 2006

"Why madmen set their sights on schools"
Montreal Gazette, Canada - Oct 7, 2006

"Link made between media coverage and copycats"
Regina Leader-Post, Canada - Oct 7, 2006

"Author predicts more violence month after Dawson shootings"
Vancouver Sun,  Canada - Oct 7, 2006

"Expert predicted 'cluster' of school shootings"
CTV.ca, Canada - Oct 3, 2006

"Six school shootings in less than six weeks"
940 News, Canada - Oct 3, 2006

"'Copycat effect' may explain cluster"
Toronto Star,  Canada - Oct 2, 2006

"Six school shootings in less than six weeks"
Vancouver Sun,  Canada - Oct 2, 2006

"Six school shootings in less than six weeks: experts comment on cluster"
Canada.com, Canada - Oct 2, 2006

Also the above "Six school shootings" article appeared in the following:
Winnipeg Free Press, Canada - Oct 2, 2006
680 News, Canada - Oct 2, 2006
Brandon Sun,  Canada - Oct 2, 2006
Macleans, Canada - Oct 2, 2006
News1130, Canada - Oct 2, 2006
Canoe.ca, Canada - Oct 2, 2006
570 News, Canada - Oct 2, 2006
940 News, Canada - Oct 2, 2006

Televised interviews with me were carried across Canada, twice after Dawson College, via CBC.

Coverage in the USA has been spotty, sketchy, and sometimes skeptical. It has had more to do with Colorado and Pennsylvania, of course, than about my warnings after Montreal:

"Kopel: Only press itself can stop copycats"
Rocky Mountain News, CO - Oct 6, 2006

"Can we root out school violence?"
Daily Inter Lake, MT - Oct 5, 2006

"Are NJ schools secure?"
NorthJersey.com, NJ - Oct 3, 2006

"Shooting Season"
Blinq, PA - Oct 3, 2006

"On school shootings"
seattlepi.com Buzzworthy - Oct 2, 2006

One of the earliest American bloggers (with an international audience) to note my copycat concepts is Xeni Jardin at Boing Boing, especially when she wrote on October 2, her "School shootings: malignant, contagious social meme?" and followed it up on the Tibetan college shootings. Because Boing Boing carries her entries, the October 2nd one was copied by many other bloggers.

The copycat effect concept is worthy of spreading.

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