Did The Media Kill The Wal-Mart Worker?

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPERS in Long Island, NY crushed a man to death at Wal-Mart as they rushed the store for sale items.

A New York Times columnist now says that the media is partially responsible for the man's death:

"The willingness of people to walk over another human being to get at the right price tag raises the question of how they got that way in the first place," writes David Carr. "But in the search for the usual suspects and parceling of blame, the news media should include themselves."

Carr argues that the media, specifically newspapers, rely upon retailers for ad dollars, so the media overhypes Black Friday sales. Therefore, the media creates mass consumerism, the kind that brought about the death of Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year old seasonal worker.

Do you agree? Does the media have that much influence over people? Are we responsible for the man's death?

Or were the shoppers only interested in the 42-inch LCD HDTVs that were on sale for $598?