PBS Planning Week-Long Programming on Newtown School Murders

PBS Planning Week-Long Programming on Newtown School Murders

Taxpayer-funded PBS is planning a week-long series of programs focused on the murders committed last December at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school. The series will begin on February 18.

The programs, to be gathered under the rubric “After Newtown,” will “continue the public conversation” by focusing on many aspects of the incident. Such issues as gun laws, mental illness, school security, and violence in society and the media will be featured in this series of programs meant to explore the crime.

Several PBS news-style programs will participate in the series. Among them will be “Frontline,” “PBS News Hour,” “Nova,” and “Washington Week With Gwen Ifill.” Ifill will anchor the special presentation.

Along with reporting on America’s gun culture and laws, “Frontline” will air a segment titled “Raising Adam Lanza” and will profile the accused murderer and his family.

“Nova” will add its titled “Mind of a Rampage Killer.” The segment will explore the psychological and scientific reasons why people turn into mass murderers.

“News Hour” will take a look out how the media and social media have reacted to the crime.

“PBS is not where you go for breaking news,” PBS chief Paula Kerger said at a press conference about the series. “Where we can add to the conversation is to step back… and say: ‘Okay, where are the big issues and where does this take us?'”

The Hartford Courant will also contribute to the reports.

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