Examples of Victim-Framing in The New York Times Articles
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (Columbine)
Eric Harris (left) and Dylan Klebold (right)
- “Someone…tossed a doughnut and some biting insults at those in the Harris-Klebold cadre” (Johnson & Wilgoren, 1999, p. 1).
- Harris and Klebold “wore long black coats” and “were mostly viewed as losers” (Johnson & Brooke, 1999, p. 1).
- A student quote on Klebold: “‘I guess when you have a lack of friends, you feel unwanted,’ and ‘he really felt unloved… he wasn’t so bad. He was lonely. I just wish I could give him a hug and tell him that I care” (Johnson & Brooke, 1999, p. 1).
- “The preps and jocks who rule the school taunted the group in the hallways with sarcastic gibes of ‘nice coat.’ They were pushed against lockers and had rocks and even lunchroom mashed potatoes thrown in their face, [Trench Coat Mafia] members said” (Wilgoren, 1999, p. 30). (Note: The media portrayed Harris and Klebold as Trench Coat Mafia members although it later turned out not to be the case)
- “…Some lawyers said they, like many people, were wondering about the responsibility of the parents of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Something must have gone wrong in those relationships, several of them said” (Glaberson, 1999, p. 20).
Seung-Hui Cho (Virginia Tech)
Seung-Hui Cho
- The New York Times article: “Before Deadly Rage, a Lifetime Consumed by a Troubling Silence” (Kleinfield, 2007, p. 1).
- “Classmates recall some teasing and bullying over his taciturn nature…And so he chose invisibility. Neighbors would spot him shooting baskets by himself. When they said hello, he ignored them, as if he were not there. ‘Like he had a broken heart,’ said Abdul Shash, a next-door neighbor” (Kleinfield, 2007, p. 1).
- “The few times he was required to speak for a class assignment, students mocked his poor English and deep-throated voice” (Kleinfield, 2007, p. 1).
- Casting accountability to Virginia Tech’s mental health system: “Officials said they did not know whether Mr. Cho had received subsequent counseling” (Dewan & Santora, 2007, p. 1).