This book is an essential contribution to the study of news framing and frame building. Dr. McCluskey impeccably weaves in many complex concepts such as religion, guns, culture wars, journalistic norms, and news discourse in the United States to tell a compelling story with empirical data. A must-read for academics, journalists, and the public.

Porismita Borah, Washington State University

Michael McCluskey is a former journalist with a solid handle on news media framing of school shootings. His multi-level analysis of each event illustrates how influential media were in propagating these tragedies and how black and white the coverage was, forcing readers to choose one side or another without reviewing the gray lines in the middle.

Cory L. Armstrong, University of Alabama

Couched in key normative questions of the day—how the news media might be able to inform society, uphold best practices in covering trauma, and shape public policy—McCluskey’s broad-spectrum study offers a nuanced look at media frames of rampage school shootings. It not only assesses media coverage of the 5 Ws of school shootings, but also tackles deeper questions about the roots of these frames. The book illustrates how the larger narrative about school shootings is linked to news organizations and professional norms—and how journalism ultimately can shape society.

Patricia Moy, University of Washington