A sketchy empiric profile of potentially contagious news includes diabolical or bizarre criminal acts that attract excessive media attention and generate notoriety for perpetrators as well as premeditated violent events with random consequences and multiple victims. Motives may include revenge or some political statement. Nevertheless, it remains difficult to accurately predict, measure and anticipate all the triggers for criminal contagion. Broadcasting, after all, means to spread seeds. The cough spreads it.
Sex spreads it.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters has published guidelines for handling potentially troubling violence. First of all, stations will not air programming that contains gratuitous violence or which sanctions, promotes or glamorizes violence. Programs must deal carefully with themes that may threaten children's safety, security or invite imitation. In general, caution must be exercised in selecting and repeating violent video in the news. While the news should not be sanitized, the CAB warns that care should be taken not to incite additional violence.