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Mass murder or mass media

This year's local and national media coverage of violent crimes and mass killings may not be consistent with police and FBI data. 

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Broadcast media has brought gun violence and mass killings to the attention of Americans across the country in 2012 and 2013, but data has shown that mass killings are no new trend. 

Although mass killings amounted to less than 1 percent of all homicides in 2012, they were two of the top five news stories for the year, a list that included the presidential election and Hurricane Sandy, according to Pew Research Center. The annual number of mass killings in the United States has remained close to 30 since 2006, according to a USA Today interactive graphic used data from local news and FBI reports.

Yet 47 percent of Americans surveyed by Pew Research Center in 2012 after the Newtown shooting believed that mass killings reflect a broader trend and not isolated incidents.

In Philadelphia, violent crime remains heavily reported by local media, fueling an unflattering reputation for the city that reaches the suburbs and beyond. Yet despite media portrayal, the city has seen a decrease in violent crime this year. 

As 2013 comes to a close, Philadelphia can boast a 37 percent decrease in the number of homicides since last year. Violent crimes decreased 5 percent overall and gun robberies and assaults decreased 17 percent. Rape is the only violent crime that has increased this year. 

The data has not yet yielded a reason for the decrease, whether effective policing or something else. Data analysis, not incident reporting, will reveal if this is a trend in Philadelphia. 

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