When the media cover mass shootings, would depicting the carnage make a difference? [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](.
Edition: US
22 February 2018
[[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair](
Editor's note
In the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, some are calling for the crime scene photographs of the victims to be released. Show the bloodied corpses, the thinking goes, and people will finally say “enough is enough.” University of Oregon journalism professor Nicole Smith Dahmen has studied how [gruesome images can galvanize readers and viewers](. But publishing them can be ethically dubious, she argues, and also can lead to unintended consequences.
Rev. Billy Graham, charismatic pastor and spiritual counselor to many American presidents, died on Wednesday morning at the age of 99. Religious historian David Mislin explains [his profound influence on the language of American politics](.
Are you a citizen of the United States? [That’s the question]( that the Department of Justice wants to add to the 2020 census. Not a good idea, says Penn State’s Jennifer Van Hook. Early tests suggest that immigrants are reluctant to answer such questions in the Trump era – putting data from the entire census at risk.
Nick Lehr
Arts + Culture Editor
Top stories
Some argue that news coverage of shootings is too sanitized. puriri/Shutterstock.com
[When the media cover mass shootings, would depicting the carnage make a difference?](
Nicole Smith Dahmen, University of Oregon
According to a photojournalism expert, there can be a relationship between exposure to grisly images and activism. But there are also ethical considerations to be made.
Evangelist Billy Graham. AP Photo/Nell Redmond
[How Billy Graham's legacy lives on in American life](
David Mislin, Temple University
In the 1950s, religious language found its way into government and politics, due in no small part to Billy Graham.
A naturalization ceremony, in December 2015. AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
[Why the 2020 census shouldn't ask about your citizenship status](
Jennifer Van Hook, Pennsylvania State University
The Department of Justice wants to add a citizenship question to the next census. That could mess up the Census Bureau's data and damage public trust in the system.
Arts + Culture
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[Why this generation of teens is more likely to care about gun violence](
Jean Twenge, San Diego State University
After Columbine, teens weren't taking to the streets to call for more gun regulations. So what's changed?
Politics + Society
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[Deported twice, man struggles to help his family survive](
Oscar Gil-Garcia, Binghamton University, State University of New York
A scholar documented the risks a migrant faced after deportation, including his becoming involved in smuggling people across the border.
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[A record 29,000 Mexicans were murdered last year – can soldiers stop the bloodshed?](
Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong
Exactly 234,966 people have died in Mexico's 11-year drug war. Now the government wants to deploy soldiers to criminal hot spots, a move many fear will just increase violence and weaken the police.
Science + Technology
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[Before hitting the road, self-driving cars should have to pass a driving test](
Srikanth Saripalli, Texas A&M University
There's a common, popular and well-studied method to ensure new technologies are safe and effective for public use – even if researchers don't fully understand how they work.
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[Starting with Mother Nature's designs will speed up critical development of new antibiotics](
Natalie Jones Slivinski, University of Washington
Pharmaceutical companies focus on small molecules they've devised – and can easily patent. But nature's already come up with many antibacterial compounds that drug designers could use to make medicines.
Environment + Energy
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[Before the US approves new uranium mining, consider its toxic legacy](
Stephanie Malin, Colorado State University
The Trump administration's push for 'energy dominance' could spur a new wave of domestic uranium production. A scholar describes the damage done in past uranium booms and the visible scars that remain.
Health + Medicine
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[College students may not be as heart-healthy as they think](
Wendy DeYoung, Colorado State University
College students may think they are living a fit life, but a recent study adds to growing research that suggests that many students are developing risk factors for heart disease.
Education
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[Why accountability efforts in higher education often fail](
Robert Kelchen, Seton Hall University
Despite good intentions, efforts to hold colleges and universities accountable often miss the mark. The reasons why range from politics to resistance among the institutions themselves.
Trending on site
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[Parents need to start talking to their tweens about the risks of porn](
Gail Dines, Wheelock College
While parents are growing more concerned about their children's easy access to porn, they often don't realize just how 'hardcore' and violent it has become and how early their kids are seeing it.
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[Why is there a norovirus outbreak at the Winter Olympics? 4 questions answered](
Kartikeya Cherabuddi, University of Florida
There's a norovirus outbreak at the Winter Olympics. Here's what that means – and why it's so hard to stop.
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[Why security measures won't stop school shootings](
Bryan Warnick, The Ohio State University; Benjamin A. Johnson, Utah Valley University; Sam Rocha, University of British Columbia
When school shootings take place, beefed up security is often seen as a solution. Experience shows, however, that school shootings stem from social factors that require a different response.
Today’s quote
[Politicians and parents have been eager to regulate what young people can and can't do. And that's one reason some of the survivors find it difficult to understand why gun purchases aren't as regulated.](
[Why this generation of teens is more likely to care about gun violence](
Jean Twenge
San Diego State University
[Jean Twenge]
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