Abstract:
In recent years, some critics have suggested that the media make mass killers into
celebrities by giving them too much attention. However, whether the media coverage these
offenders get actually approaches the amounts given to celebrities has never been tested. This
study compared perpetrators of seven mass killings from 2013‐2017 with more than 600
celebrities over the same time period. Findings indicate that the mass killers received
approximately $75 million in media coverage value, and that for extended periods following
their attacks, they got more than professional athletes and only slightly less than TV and film
stars. In addition, during their attack months, some mass killers received more highly valued
coverage than some of the most famous American celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Brad
Pitt, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Jennifer Aniston. Finally, most mass killers got more
coverage from newspapers and broadcast/cable news than the public interest they generated
through online searches and Twitter seems to warrant. Unfortunately, this media attention
constitutes free advertising for mass killers that may increase the likelihood of copycats.
