From The Independent, you’d think reading this headline that some tragic accident killed this man and his children. You’d also think there were no other tragic accidental deaths involved.
Unless you bothered to read down to the middle of the article, then you’d discover
“Megan Short, their mother, was also dead.”
A few more paragraphs down:
“Authorities believe Mark Short was the gunman in the murder-suicide; he is believed to have shot his wife and children before turning the firearm on himself, officials said.”
So this is definitely a tragedy, but not an accidental one. Mark Short killed Megan because she wanted to leave him, and his children for reasons very few of us could comprehend.
Men who kill women and children should be headlines. Men who think they have a right to commit the ultimate violation – taking a life – because a woman rejects him should be headlines.
Editors who write headlines like this need to go back to school, and write “I will not erase men’s violence against women from headlines” 100 times on a blackboard.
1800 RESPECT
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Ph: 1800 737 732
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Ph: 1300 659 467
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Phone: 1800 55 1800
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Child Wise National Abuse Helpline
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Ph: 1800 99 10 99
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MensLine Australia
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Phone: 1300 78 99 78
www.mensline.org.au
