As sniper hunt grows, role of media blurs

And there's the proliferation of murderer trading cards and calendars, for instance, as well as the current No. 1 box-office ranking of "Red Dragon," a movie that features serial-killer genius Hannibal Lecter.

Against that backdrop comes the question of how the media should cover a major event like the sniper attacks. With the public clamoring for details – for their safety and to feed their curiosity – news outlets are trying to balance informing the country with avoiding spreading fear, inspiring copycats, and glorifying criminals.

"This is obviously a very important story, especially here in Washington, where people feel fearful because it's such a random event," says Sean Aday, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. "No matter how you report a story like this, it is in essence scary."

And those who work in the news say they are clear on their job and their ability to self-police.

"We are certainly not going to speculate or add fuel to the anxiety, because we all live in this community as well," says David Roberts, vice president for news at Channel 9.

Experts differ on whether the media play a role in promoting copycat killings – giving people ideas for violence.

But the media's influence on the original killer's mental state is more clear. Criminologists say the current murderer, for example, likely gets a high from all the attention and could also be spurred into action if he feels he's falling off the radar of the media and the public.

What isn't happening so far is a glorifying of the sniper, observers say. News coverage is generally balancing information about the killer and the victims, say observers, another plus on the media's scorecard.

"They've also succeed on that front by not romanticizing the killer – not painting him as Hannibal Lecter, a person worthy of both respect and contempt," says Matthew Felling, media director at the Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington.

But Levin, who did the People magazine research, wonders if that will still be the case when the sniper's identity is revealed. He says the media have generally responded well so far, but "what will happen later is more important in determining whether the media can be faulted for the way it covered the story."

Once the case is solved, the media should show restraint and not "delve into every detail of the killer's life, making him out to be a victim," he says.

Broadcasters are willing to address the issue, but they also bring it back around to the public's appetite, giving rise to a chicken-and-egg debate over which comes first, the public demand or the media supply.

"I don't think we're trying to make heroes out of any of these people when we delve into their lives. I think there's a fascination," says Mark Effron, vice president of news programming for MSNBC.

"I mean why did the latest Hannibal Lecter movie do [about] $30 million this last weekend?" he says. "There is a fascination with it. We just have to make sure that we're reporting it accurately. I know there are millions of us sitting around thinking what kind of person would do this?"

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