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News (un)scripted

An analysis of support and blame in the wake of two fatal shootings

Vincent F. Filak

Ball State University, USA

Robert S. Pritchard

Ball State University, USA

In order to better understand how media users react to incidents that follow and deviate from a standard cognitive script, we examined the response postings (n 1/4 389) left on a newspaper’s website regarding two fatal shootings. An analysis of the postings found differences in placement of blame and support based on whether the incident followed standard script patterns pertaining to character roles and incident progression. Postings regarding a shooting that fit the script were more likely to attribute blame to the assailants as individuals and offer sympathy to the victim’s family. Postings regarding the shooting that didn’t follow the script were more likely to blame the victim. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Key Words: crime news • media use • news as script • online posts • perception • race • violent crime

Journalism, Vol. 8, No. 1, 66-82 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1464884907072421
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