While Susan's article is fair enough, I think it's deficient because it doesn't give enough emphasis to non-public media. The most impressionable audience, ie teenagers, may not be watching public TV, but rather media such as YouTube and MySpace. That is where society should be looking if it's concerned - but how do you control what's shown and said there?

What is "news" anyway these days but morbid fixation?
With all the terrorists, paedophiles, murderers, rapists, politicians, and all the shootings, swindles, drug dealing, and transport accidents, natural disasters, etc. It really makes one wonder why you'd want to step outside your door, or even get up in the morning.
It's not just our childrens minds that we should be worried about, but our own sanity as well.

Whenever i see one of those handycam recordings during a tragedy or disaster, i always wonder what kind of sick individual would first think to turn on the camera and start rolling instead of getting to safety or helping others to safety. I guess the airing of that sort of cowardice somehow rewards it as heroic.