This diploma thesis is focused on searching for relationship between school shootings and media coverage of these tragedies. The theoretical framework is based on media effects theory, especially on the theory of media violence, and it reflects significant empirical research in this course of study. The thesis describes the case of Columbine High School shooting in connection with so called copycat effect problem and it brings the concrete examples of such an influence. The crucial part of the text determines the three problematic areas of school shootings media coverage, which are explained by bringing out the concrete examples from around the world. Moreover, the thesis shows a solution how to better deal with these problematic areas of coverage. The thesis also concludes partial content analyses, which show the way how chosen Czech media coped with these problematic areas of school shootings media coverage. To be concrete, it analyses Lidové noviny, server iDnes.cz and Czech television news.

Ce mémoire étudiera en quoi la tuerie du Columbine High School (Colorado, États-Unis) de 1999 fut instrumentalisée. Plus précisément, nous verrons en quoi elle constitua, entre avril 1999 et octobre 2002, une opportunité pour les politiciens, les membres du clergé, les chroniqueurs, les auteurs et les activistes et même les familles des victimes de mettre de l'avant un agenda moral et de dénoncer ce qu'ils jugent comme les travers de la société américaine tout en défendant une vision traditionnelle de celle-ci. Cette recherche reposera sur un corpus de sources varié, rassemblant les propos des membres du Congrès et de la Maison-Blanche grâce au réseau C-SPAN, mais aussi ceux d'autres participants au débat public. Nous nous pencherons plus particulièrement sur les remarques concernant quatre grands thèmes, soit le discrédit des jeunes, des parents et du mode de vie moderne; les spéculations quant au rôle des médias, de la culture populaire et de la sous-culture gothique; la promotion de la foi chrétienne; et la question des armes à feu. / This dissertation will study how the 1999 Columbine High School Shooting (Colorado, USA) was instrumentalized. More precisely, we will see how it became, between April 1999 and October 2002, an opportunity for politicians, members of clergy, columnists, authors, activists, and even family members of victims to assert a moral agenda and to condemn the perceive wrongs of American society as well as to defend a traditional view of it. This research will be based on a varied corpus of sources, gathering the sayings of Congress and White House members thanks to C-SPAN network, but also those of other public debate contributors. We will dwell on remarks about four main issues, being the discredit of youth, parents, and modern way of life; speculations as to the role of media, popular culture, and gothic subculture; the boosting of Christian faith; and finally, the gun debate.