Bloomberg: Media need to rethink gun violence coverage

[onehandle]

Source: NBC/YNews

NEW YORK—New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the media need to improve their coverage of gun violence, arguing the press pays attention to gun-related deaths only after mass shootings. In an interview with NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, Bloomberg called the Dec. 14 shooting that killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., “terribly tragic,” but said there is scant coverage of people who are killed by guns every day.

“This was a crazy person with an assault weapon,” Bloomberg said of the Sandy Hook shooting. “But there’s 33 people killed in America with guns every single day of the year. And nobody seems to care. It only catches the press’s attention when it’s young kids concentrated. And it was terribly tragic, but there are kids killed every day all across this country.”

Bloomberg has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates of new gun-control measures since the Sandy Hook shooting, urging President Barack Obama to make the issue a top priority in his second term. But the mayor insisted he’s not trying to ban guns, telling Fallon that “if you are responsible and you are adult and you don’t have a criminal record, there’s nothing wrong with you having a gun.”

The problem, Bloomberg said, is that Congress doesn’t “fund enforcement” of existing gun laws and “guns are getting into the hands of the wrong people.” “There’s just too many guns in the world and certainly in this country,” Bloomberg said. “And we’ve just got to do something about it.”

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/bloomberg-media-falls-short-covering-gun-violence-151547970--politics.html

[Remmah2]

1. So Bloomberg approves of hammer violence?

[flamin lib]

6. There are 3x more gun homicides than all other methods combined.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022129264

Follow the link to see the actual FBI crime stats.

Educate yourself before spouting NRA talking points.

[raouldukelives]

2. As well as glorifying support of Wall St. Considering all the people & wildlife it offs.

I mean, you may as well be selling high capacity magazines. There are many examples on TV and the media of investors being "caring" people. Time to start improving that coverage of investment violence. Investments that support climate change, the MIC, slave labor and the steady deregulation and destruction of our natural world. That are leading to far more deaths and misery in the long run than any clip could muster.

[samsingh]

3. isn't he part of the media

[samsingh]

4. bloombert has the resources to counter the nra if he truly wants to reduce

gun violence

[flamin lib]

7. He's doing just that, one legislative seat at a time.

Took down a Democratic Rep in CA with a 100% NRA rating with an unknown Dem in the primary. Has started a Super Pak strictly for gun issues.

[samsingh]

9. it would be better if he took some repugs out

[flamin lib]

10. He takes what is available and winnable. Most seats, both parties, are so gerrymandered

to the point that they are very safe for the incumbent. He's also got the super pac which will allow a lot of flexibility to help or hinder at the choice of the pac.

[samsingh]

11. i think there are winnable repug seats if he has the will to invest in Democratic candidates

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. No substantive responses. Just sniping.

Bloomberg has a point. The mass media is incredibly blase about the daily gun violence death toll. Ho, hum, another 33 people dead today. They were mostly young and black or brown, so who cares.

[reACTIONary]

8. +10. Hammer violence? Not very clever or perceptive. NT