A 963: Establishes the New York state violence in mass media research program to study the effects of mass media reporting on violent crimes.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 963 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. JACKSON -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law and the state finance law, in relation to establishing the New York state violence in mass media research program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 239-d 2 to read as follows: 3 § 239-d. New York state violence in mass media research program. 1. 4 Program formation and goals. Subject to amounts available by appropri- 5 ation, the New York state violence in mass media research program is 6 hereby created within the firearm violence research institute. The 7 purposes of such program shall include: 8 (a) advising the governor, governmental agencies, the regents, and the 9 legislature on matters relating to the effects of reporting on violent 10 crime practices in New York state as it relates to unintentionally 11 glorifying certain violent crimes in such a way that encourages copycat 12 violent crimes, contributing to negative stereotyping or prejudicing 13 jurors in rulings on private citizens; 14 (b) fostering, pursuing and sponsoring collaborative research on the 15 effects of mass media violent crime reporting; 16 (c) increasing understanding by establishing and reporting on what is 17 known and what is not known about the effects of reporting on violent 18 crime by mass media; 19 (d) identifying priority needs for the research of the effects mass 20 media reporting on violent crime and inventory work within New York that 21 currently are not receiving adequate attention and identifying public or 22 private entities that are best situated to address such needs, thereby 23 leading to better coordination of firearm violence research efforts in 24 the state; 25 (e) promoting awareness of existing and new sources of information 26 created by psychologists and other experts on the effects of current EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02358-01-5 
 A. 963 2 1 mass media reporting of violent crime while educating elected officials, 2 governmental agencies, and the general public on these issues through 3 such means as it may determine; 4 (f) organizing and sponsoring meetings on firearm violence topics; 5 (g) encouraging the establishment of networks of collaborating experts 6 engaged in related aspects of firearm violence research; 7 (h) raising sensitivity to firearm violence concerns among state and 8 local government agencies, and serving as a forum for enhanced intera- 9 gency information sharing and cooperation; 10 (i) working on a continuing basis with policymakers in the legislature 11 and state agencies to identify, implement, and evaluate innovative 12 firearm violence prevention policies and programs; 13 (j) recruiting and providing specialized training opportunities for 14 new researchers, including experienced investigators in related fields 15 who are beginning work on mass public violence, young investigators who 16 have completed their education, experts in journalism law, postdoctoral 17 scholars, doctoral students, undergraduates, and representatives from 18 mass media; and 19 (k) providing copies of their research publications to the legislature 20 and to agencies supplying data used in the conduct of such research as 21 soon as is practicable following publication. 22 2. Research. The New York state firearm violence research institute 23 shall foster, pursue, and sponsor basic, translational, and transform- 24 ative research, field studies, and all other such activities to 25 research: 26 (a) the nature of mass media reporting of violence, including what is 27 displayed, including but not limited to names and faces of perpetrators, 28 crime scenes, and plans, and individual and societal determinants of 29 risk for involvement in mass public violence, whether as a victim or a 30 perpetrator; 31 (b) the individual, community, and societal consequences of potential- 32 ly irresponsible mass media reporting practices regarding violent crime; 33 (c) the prevention and treatment of mass public violence at the indi- 34 vidual, community, and societal levels; and 35 (d) the effect of mass media reporting on contributing to racial 36 profiling and stereotyping as it relates to arrests, juror outcomes, and 37 the violation of the privacy of private citizens scheduled for trial, 38 but not yet convicted of a crime. 39 3. Financing. The violence in mass media research program shall be 40 funded through the firearm violence research fund established pursuant 41 to section ninety-seven-j of the state finance law. 42 § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 97-j of the state finance law, as 43 amended by chapter 151 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as 44 follows: 45 5. Moneys in the firearm violence research fund, following appropri- 46 ation by the legislature, shall be available to the New York firearm 47 violence research institute for its activities as set forth in [section] 48 sections two hundred thirty-nine-d and three hundred fifty-five-e of the 49 education law. 50 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 51 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment 52 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation 53 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 54 completed by the commissioner of education on or before such effective 55 date.