A sweeping new study of 36,000 news reports suggests that race plays a significant role in how gun violence is covered in the United States, with shootings in white neighborhoods receiving more sympathetic and detailed media attention.
In 2025, there were approximately 408 mass shootings across the United States, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. According to available data, mass shootings in predominantly white neighborhoods receive roughly twice the news coverage of similar incidents in neighborhoods where most residents are people of color, while police-involved shootings are disproportionately reported in majority-minority communities, the new research reveals.
The study was led by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis, Northwestern University, and the University of Washington, and is the first of its kind to systematically conduct large-scale analyses evaluating racial biases in gun violence reporting in the United States.
The study reviewed 36,000 news stories from 2014 to 2023, examining factors such as coverage volume, language, and incident descriptions. The researchers then compared these reports to census data showing the racial makeup of the neighborhoods where the shootings occurred. The findings revealed consistent disparities in both reporting frequency and framing across areas with different racial demographics.
“These disparities are more generalized than previously documented, and they exist nationwide,” said Rob Voigt, an assistant professor of sociology at UC Davis and co-author of the study, in a statement.
Racial Profiling
The study indicates that mass shootings in white-majority neighborhoods garnered more detailed media coverage, often highlighting the shooters’ personal backgrounds, social roles, or mental health challenges. For example, one article about a white shooter described him as “a former Marine who suffered from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, his stepfather said.”
Reports on shootings in neighborhoods of color, by contrast, rarely included such context and were more likely to frame incidents in terms of crime and race.
The language used in reports also reflected bias. In cases of police-involved shootings in majority-minority neighborhoods, victims were often described in ways that emphasized criminality. For example, when 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot by police in Cleveland in 2014, some outlets referred to him as a “Black male with a gun,” despite the gun being a toy.
Across all news articles analyzed, mentions of race disproportionately focused on people of color; 62% of racial mentions in gun violence reporting referred to nonwhite individuals.
The study highlights broader issues regarding how the media can shape public perceptions of racial communities by using stereotypes that reinforce biases from previous generations. By linking media coverage to specific events and demographic areas, the research team identified patterns and underlying racial disparities in media reporting.
“Media coverage of such incidents can perpetuate harmful biases, extending the impact beyond the immediate trauma of those involved,” Voigt said.
Overall, the research underscores the need for news organizations to examine their reporting practices, systems, and ethics in how they cover gun violence, in order to ensure more equitable and accurate coverage.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.