Read the Case Study (below) "THE ONION: FINDING HUMOR IN MASS SHOOTINGS". In this study, use the "SAD" formula to discuss and answer this case study and answer all questions:

THE ONION: FINDING HUMOR IN MASS SHOOTINGS

CHAD PAINTER

A lone gunman opened fire Oct. 1, 2017, during the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 and injuring 546. News coverage was nearly around the clock, mostly following a similar, well-rehearsed playbook, according to the Washington Post:

Deploy reporters to the scene quickly. Interview eyewitnesses and families of the victims and the shooters. Check social media for clues to the attackers' identity. Bring on the law enforcement experts for comment. (Farhi, 2015)

Coverage was a bit different, however, for one "news" organization.

In The Onion, readers were greeted with a familiar headline: "'No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens." The full text of less than 200 words reads:

LAS VEGASIn the hours following a violent rampage in Las Vegas in which a lone attacker killed more than 50 individuals and seriously 346injured 400 others, citizens living in the only country where this kind of mass killing routinely occurs reportedly concluded Monday that there was no way to prevent the massacre from taking place. "This was a terrible tragedy, but sometimes these things just happen and there's nothing anyone can do to stop them," said Iowa resident Kyle Rimmels, echoing sentiments expressed by tens of millions of individuals who reside in a nation where over half of the world's deadliest mass shootings have occurred in the past 50 years and whose citizens are 20 times more likely to die of gun violence than those of other developed nations. "It's a shame, but what can we do? There really wasn't anything that was going to keep these individuals from snapping and killing a lot of people if that's what they really wanted." At press time, residents of the only economically advanced nation in the world where roughly two mass shootings have occurred every month for the past eight years were referring to themselves and their situation as "helpless."

The Onion had published versions of the same story several times, changing only the date, location of violence, and number of people killed. The story was first published after a May 23, 2014, attack at the University of California where a gunman killed six people and injured 14 others. It later ran, almost verbatim, after the June 17, 2015, shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the Oct. 1, 2015, shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon; the Dec. 2, 2015, shooting at a Christmas party for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health; the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Parkland High School; and the Aug. 3, 2019, shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

The Onion has not run the story after every mass shooting; notably, it didn't appear after the June 12, 2016, Orlando nightclub attack. The repetition, though, underscores the problem that mass shootings are a regular occurrence in US life. Onion managing editor Marnie Shure told Vice in a September 2017 interview that "by re-running the same commentary, it strengthens the original commentary tenfold each time. In the wake of these really terrible things, we have this comment that really holds up." The not-so-subtle commentary is an attempt by Onion writers to tap into a shared sense of frustration coupled with futility and hopelessness. The satire here is not just used for humor; instead, it has a larger purpose regarding social and political life (Feinberg, 1967).

The Onion, which dubs itself "America's Finest News Source," is a satirical website that covers both real and fictional current events in the tone, format, and design of traditional news organizations such as the Associated Press. It came to national prominence for its acclaimed coverage 347of the 9/11 terrorist attacks; Onion writers were among the first humorists to address the attacks and their aftermath.

In this study, use the "SAD" formula to discuss this case study BY ANSWERING ALL QUESTIONS BELOW:

S - What is the situation?

• Describe the facts
• Identify principles and values
• State the ethical issue or question

A - Analysis of the situation.

• Weigh the competing principles and values
• Consider the external factors
• Discuss any applicable ethical theories

D - What's your decision or ethical judgement?

• Make a decision about this dilemma: What should be done?
• Justify your final decision

QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWER:

1. Does The Onion's mass shooting story gain or lose impact with each retelling?

2. The story is fictional, though it does include real information, including statistics. Does this blending of fiction and nonfiction aid or detract from the overall message? Compare this story to news coverage of these shootings that appeared in local newspapers.

3. The Onion publishes the story after only some mass shootings. Discuss this editorial strategy.

4. Does The Onion's approach trivialize these events? What might be the impact of this story on the victims' families should they see it?

5. Is The Onion's story fake news?

6. What are the ethical implications of using humor to discuss mass shootings or other tragic events?

7. Compare The Onion's coverage of mass shootings to that provided by columnists such as Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. Evaluate their effectiveness as a form of political communication as outlined in chapter 5.

8. Satire typically has a larger social or political purpose. Discuss that purpose in relation to mass shootings.

Here is the reference. Everything needed to answer the question is provided: Wilkins, L., Painter, C., & Patterson, P. (2021). Media Ethics (10th Edition). Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. The reference is the case study in italics provided in my question. That is the reference for the assignment. There is nothing else