TY - JOUR
T1 - Shooting for Accuracy
T2 - Comparing Data Sources on Mass Murder
AU - Huff-Corzine, Lin
AU - McCutcheon, James C.
AU - Corzine, Jay
AU - Jarvis, John P.
AU - Tetzlaff-Bemiller, Melissa J.
AU - Weller, Mindy
AU - Landon, Matt
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/2
Y1 - 2014/2
N2 - Although researchers have questioned their coverage and accuracy, the media routinely are used as sources of data on mass murder in the United States. Databases compiled from media sources such as newspaper and network news programs include the New York Police Department's Active Shooters file, the Brady Campaign Mass Casualty Shootings data set, and the Mother Jones database. Conversely, official crime data have been underutilized by researchers who study mass murder (for exceptions, see Duwe, 2007; Fox & Levin, 1998). In this study, we compare similarities and differences for mass murder cases in the United States as portrayed by selected mass media sources. Then, we turn our focus to a comparison of the Uniform Crime Reports' (UCR) Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Our primary focus is on mass murders involving four or more fatalities-not including the perpetrator-that have occurred between 2001 and 2010. Implications for enhancing the comprehensiveness and quality of mass murder data with the goal of increasing their usefulness for guiding prevention and risk mitigation efforts also are discussed.
AB - Although researchers have questioned their coverage and accuracy, the media routinely are used as sources of data on mass murder in the United States. Databases compiled from media sources such as newspaper and network news programs include the New York Police Department's Active Shooters file, the Brady Campaign Mass Casualty Shootings data set, and the Mother Jones database. Conversely, official crime data have been underutilized by researchers who study mass murder (for exceptions, see Duwe, 2007; Fox & Levin, 1998). In this study, we compare similarities and differences for mass murder cases in the United States as portrayed by selected mass media sources. Then, we turn our focus to a comparison of the Uniform Crime Reports' (UCR) Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Our primary focus is on mass murders involving four or more fatalities-not including the perpetrator-that have occurred between 2001 and 2010. Implications for enhancing the comprehensiveness and quality of mass murder data with the goal of increasing their usefulness for guiding prevention and risk mitigation efforts also are discussed.
KW - National Incident-Based Reporting System
KW - Supplementary Homicide Report
KW - homicide
KW - mass murder
KW - murder
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U2 - 10.1177/1088767913512205
DO - 10.1177/1088767913512205
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84892386154
SN - 1088-7679
VL - 18
SP - 105
EP - 124
JO - Homicide Studies
JF - Homicide Studies
IS - 1
ER -