The sensationalization of mass shooting coverage risks inspiration and ideation among those who are susceptible to these thoughts. Despite countless harmful news cycles, there is little being done to remedy the issue—until now.
"Mass killers received approximately $75 million in media coverage value."
—Adam Lankford
Made with Katie Reid (CW)
In the age of transparency, we want to hold the media accountable by breaking the cycle. Cyclebreaker is a browser extension that performs like a Grammarly for sensationalist reporting. It highlights trigger words and phrases, following a guideline of anti-sensationalist verbiage. The plug-in then rates the article with a trigger score that determines the overall senstionalism of the article. This rating can be used as a tool to identify articles with responsible reporting.
LIMIT the name to once per article and never in headlines.
As it pertains to the individual:
NO photos,
NO videos,
NO manifestos,
NO self-serving statements
Adhere to the journalistic principle of BALANCING the public's need for information vs. potential harm
REPORT WITHOUT EXCESSIVE DETAIL
REDIRECT IMPORTANCE Elevate the names and likenesses of the victims and families, not the attacker
PROMOTE INFORMATION
from experts on how to eliminate the motivations behind mass murder
Articles will be filtered through the website and given a score based on the prevalence of sensationalist language. The lower the score, the better.
Trigger words that do not follow the Cyclebreaker guidelines will be underlined; the more red lines in an article, the higher the trigger score.
Google search results will show each article's trigger score. This visual aid will hopefully encourage users to consciously click on articles with more ethical news coverage, while also encouraging journalists to be more mindful on their reporting practices.
Articles will be filtered through the website and given a score based on the prevalence of sensationalist language. The lower the score, the better.
Social Media
Cyclebreaker's social media accounts will help propagate the importance of media literacy in the ever-changing data landscape of the Internet.
Mobile Plug-in
Cyclebreaker will also have mobile browser plug-ins to reach the 85% of U.S. adults who read the news on a mobile device.
