Finding fantasy : three newspapers tell the story of Kip Kinkel and Thurston High

Graduation date: 2002On May 21, 1998 Kip Kinkel drove to Thurston High\ud School in Springfield, Oregon. Kinkel killed two\ud students and wounded another twenty-two students. He\ud killed his parents the day before. The shootings at\ud Thurston High School came on the heels of a number of\ud prominent school shootings and Kip Kinkel provoked\ud tremendous attention from the media.\ud In an attempt to understand how the media told the\ud story of Kip Kinkel and the shootings at Thurston High\ud School, Ernest G. Bormann's fantasy theme analysis is\ud used as a critical model. To generate insight into the\ud rhetorical visions present in the media coverage\ud articles from three newspapers, The Register-Guard, The\ud Oregonian and The New York Times, are studied. Fantasy\ud types and themes including characters, settings and\ud plotlines are identified and explored.\ud A literature study provides information about the\ud media and how it functions in telling stories,\ud particularly those focused on crime.\ud The critical evaluation of the fantasy themes and\ud types at work the three newspapers provide a number of\ud conclusions. Two rhetorical visions are revealed and\ud discussed. Specific strengths and weaknesses of fantasy\ud theme analysis are also discussed. Finally, a number of\ud future research possibilities are suggested