What kills kids?

It is a horrible tragedy when children die.

No matter how they die.

But when the media focus on some forms of killing--devoting page after page and hour after hour to some forms of killing, while ignoring others--it creates misconceptions of what actually puts out kids at the most risk.

This is the lead story in USA Today right now.





Its story and its graphic are extensive. And important.

But they create the false impression that our kids are likely to die in a mass killing (for example, a school shooting).

But these events appear nowhere on the actual leading causes of death for young people.

So the media share major blame for why people fear the wrong things. And prepare to protect themselves from the wrong things, as well.