Violence and media reports-a connection with Hungerford?

Examines the possibility that the 1987 mass murder of 14 people in Hungerford, England, was related to a similar incident that occurred 10 days prior in Clifton Hill, Australia. Published reports of the two incidents were compared to determine the nature of the association between media coverage & the UK incident in light of the literature on media promotion & violence. The content of 6 British & 4 Australian national daily newspapers showed a high degree of consistency, indicating access to the same information from multiple sources. The British papers all described the gunman's army dress, & 50% of the coverage of both countries compared the gunman to the film character, Rambo. Discussion includes imitation as a process implicated in violent behavior & the type of individuals most likely susceptible to it. 2 Tables, 41 References. J. Lindroth