How Do We Report Mass Shooters?

   

When mass shootings occur, one of the first questions people ask is, "who is this sick person that did this?"

Immediately, new sites are flooded with images of the shooter, plastering their name in headlines, and providing backgrounds about who the person was before they committed the awful act.

After the New Zealand mosque shooting, images including the shooters face were blurred, and for me personally, I did not know the man's name right away. This was completely different from any other mass shooting.

These sick-minded people want the attention that the media gives, which causes more and more events like this to occur. They somehow think that being talked about all over the news is a good thing and they are "famous". Which they technically are, but it shouldn't be the case.

So, this poses a difficult question. Do we reveal the name and face of the killer?

As a society, we have the right to know who committed this act of violence, especially for those who know or are related to the victims. However, this could cause more shootings to happen. If people who have ideas of carrying out similar events see that these killers are getting so much attention, it will motivate them to go forth with their plans in order to become "famous" as well. According to BBC, there is a "contagious" period that lasts about 13 days after a high profile attack.

Since people deserve to know who the murderer is, I think the name and face should be revealed. However, there is no reason why this person should be covered all across the media. Don't do background stories, don't use their name in headlines, don't plaster their face all over the front pages. Mention who they are and move on. We have a right to know, but we cannot give these people widespread media coverage. We need to focus on the victims and who they are because they deserve to be talked about, not the sick individual.