Headlines such as, "Tragedy in Littleton," "Could Guns Have Prevented the Massacre?" and "Who's to Blame for Columbine?" have recently flooded the newspapers and airways, leaving much of the public disillusioned. These headlines exhibit the increasing role that the media plays concerning the gun control debate. From the onset, the media has had an enormous responsibility in covering the controversy effectively. However, many are currently concerned with the media's involvement in the debate, questioning their accuracy, the effects of their coverage, and if the media is bias in its accounts. With occurrences of gun violence on the rise in schools, churches, and places of employment, the media has been thrust into action to get coverage. It is the manner in which the media chooses to cover these tragedies, that is being called into question. An industry that once prided itself on facilitating democracy and informing the public, has now blurred the lines between news and entertainment, thereby undermining their own accountability, making them a key issue in the debates concerning gun control.
             Much of the problem with the media's coverage of gun-related issues, is their inaccuracy in reporting the stories. Events are often misconstrued by the media, they leave out important factors, and fail to ask crucial questions about the stories they report. For instance, of three networks reporting on a Washington DC gun buyback program, none questioned whether the program might actually have an impact on gun-related crime in Washington, nor did they explore whether the number of guns returned was substantial (Torobin). When in fact, to spite of the good intentions of the buyback program, there is still roughly one gun for every four DC residents, and most of the guns collected came from people who generally don't perpetuate gun violence (Torobin). This type of reporting leads to the misconceptions of their audiences, thereby misguiding viewers a...