A textual analysis of media framing of mass shootings: how characteristics surrounding mass shootings are framed in men's and women's magazines

The present research attempted to build upon mass shooting studies by analyzing how feature-length magazine articles focusing on these events frame the characteristics surrounding mass shootings in men's and women's health and lifestyle magazines. The researcher conducted a qualitative textual analysis of 24 randomly selected feature-length mass shootings articles in print and online issues of Esquire, Cosmopolitan, GQ and Glamour between January 2012-April 2017. The core findings of this research included how mass shootings almost always 12 under one of four frames: individual (internal) blame frames, societal (external) blame frames, profiling the shooter, and recovery and mourning. These articles also presented more complex sub-frames. The sub-frames included: symptoms suffered by the shooter, drugs, medication and counseling, identity, and stereotypes, political and institutional failures, access to firearms, military issues, "never saw it coming," slipping through the cracks, and the victims and survivors of mass shootings as well as community togetherness.