Media coverage of slayings could come at a cost

Local mental health experts are concerned about the media coverage surrounding the young man accused of killing his parents and twin brother in a Philadelphia suburb. Reports suggest that he suffers from schizophrenia, but that information has yet to be verified. Temple's Mark Salzer, who researches severe mental illnesses, said the coverage might stir up age-old misconceptions. "The concern is that in people's minds, in the audience, they are going to again link mental illness to violence, and the overwhelming majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and other serious disorders are not violent."
March 8, 2011 | WHYY-FM