The media extensively contributes to various stereotypes that negatively affect different social groups. Over the years, television programs have attracted criticism for the inclination to trigger incidents characterized by violence (Phillips, 2017). In 2016, David Ali Sonboly killed nine people and inflicted injuries on 36 others before taking his own life. The 18-year-old had initially obsessed over carrying out mass shootings and had a preference for video games in which he acted as a first-person shooter. The current paper aims at evaluating the media's liability concerning cases involving real-life violence.
The presentation of cases involving media- violence before court become subject to foreclosure. In most cases, decisions and rulings often favor the entertainment industry. More specifically, US courts have become tasked with the responsibility of expanding the protections available in the First Amendment relating to free speech. The injuries sustained by third parties, therefore culminate in no legal litigation for media companies. For example, the Columbian High School massacre that occurred in Colorado in 1999 resulted in the death of 13 people. The families affected filed a lawsuit against Sony Computer Entertainment. Furthermore, they also sued Nintendo of America and Activision. The lawsuit targeted the recovery of damages amounting to $5 billion. In 2002, the court in Colorado dismissed the petition. The assertion commonly made by courts emphasizes the inability of the content to culminate in violence among viewers.
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In Sanders v. Acclaim Entertainment , Inc (2002), the litigant highlighted the impact of the defendant's violent content in encouraging the destructive behavior evident among teenage gunmen. The description presented before court highlighted the shooter's propensity to excessively consume content depicting brutality in the form of movies or video games. However, the court dismissed the case without referencing scientific authorities for adequate justification.
In conclusion, the regulations currently applicable in the United States protect media houses from violent content liability. More specifically, the First Amendment allows for freedom of speech. Additionally, the cases presented before the court often favor players in the entertainment industry instead of the parties afflicted by violence.
References
Phillips, N. D. (2017). Violence, media effects, and criminology. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Sanders v. Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., 188 F. Supp. 2d, 1264 (D. Colo., 2002).
