Recent times have seen more and more mass shootings happening in the US. Data from the Gun Violence Archive shows that 307 mass shooting incidents have been reported so far this year compared to a total of 483 last year (Gun Violence Archive, N.d.). The nature of events like these is that they start unexpectedly and end rapidly. Journalists are seemingly thrown into a clamor for information which results in a focus on unnecessary details as media outlets try to figure out how to handle the situation and make decisions of their own as more information emerges about the shooter and the victims.
In an effort to bring to light as much information as they can about the elements surrounding these incidents, the media often disregards the trauma inflicted on the people affected. The increased frequency of such events has sparked a debate around the role of the media in perpetuating these tragedies. The value of the information released by the media has been questioned with regards to whether exposing such information could help prevent the occurrence of such events in the future or make the situation even worse (Ladd, 2015). In a research paper exploring the media contagion effect written by Johnston and Joy of the Western New Mexico University, they argue that when a mass shooting is covered extensively, with the shooter getting most of the attention, others are inspired to copy the shooter’s acts to attain the same level of fame (Johnston and Joy, 2017). They refer to this idea as the media contagion effect.
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The most recent shooting happened at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Soon after the incident, a horde of reporters invaded the town disrupting what little order may have been left. Journalists went about their business, trampling on lawns of homes and setting up equipment with no regard for courtesy (Schmidt, 2017). For a small town like Sutherland Springs, this only exacerbates the trauma felt by the community.
An article about the Sutherland shooting on The New York Times dated Nov. 5, 2017 is an example of in-depth coverage that is commonly witnessed with such incidents. The article features specific detailing of not only the killer’s actions but his past as well (Montgomery, Mele and Fernandez, 2017). The factor that pushes most murderers to make their fantasies about killing a reality is the extensive media coverage of the lives and backgrounds of prior mass shooters (Johnston and Joy, 2015). Profiling these shooters gives murderers that are planning to act, a sense of camaraderie with them as they relate to the same circumstances.
This puts journalists in a bit of a pickle. While most of the information revealed may seem irrelevant at the end of the day, such incidents are characterized by a constant evolution of the general narrative told by the media. Looking at it as a timeline, in the beginning, there is very little information available. Most journalists will subsequently opt to publish as much of the details as they can get their hands on. As time passes and more information regarding the incident is made available by the authorities, this information is augmented with details of the perpetrator’s history to provide context. In the moment, such information may seem relevant.
Mass shooting incidents have been greatly sensationalized in the recent past. The New York Times article about the Sutherland Shooting compares it to other shootings in the past. It compares the body count to the 1966 shooting by a student at the University of Texas and an incident at a restaurant in Killeen in 1991, as well as to a more recent shooting at a church in Charleston, S.C (Montgomery et al., 2017). This comparison only serves to make it of bigger public interest.
A section of the article specifies the weapon type used in the attack detailing its origins and even including the price range at which this very gun goes. On The New York Times website, that section is complemented by a video titled “AR-15: The Gun behind So Many Mass Shootings” speculating why that specific gun is the most commonly used in mass shootings in the US (Montgomery et al., 2017). A sociologist argues that this kind of detailed reporting creates a cycle of copycat killings (Tufekci, 2012). The more a person is able to visualize these acts taking place, the more likely they are to follow through with it.
A number of guidelines and recommendations have been proposed by stakeholders as the debate on how the media should cover shootings (McBride, 2017). The shooters’ identities should never be revealed and neither should their manifestos or weapon choices (Johnston and Joy, 2015). Even though they are usually of great interest to the public, no good comes of it. Before focusing deeply on the shooter and uncovering possible motives, the media should wait a while for the initial shock in the community to subside (Ingersoll, 2015). Local media can instead identify each of the victims and celebrate their memories through feature stories.
Details of the manner of the killings should not be released by law enforcement and people who learn of these details should not share them (Tufekci, 2012). Details about which guns were used and timelines of how events unfolded should never be made known to the public. Even though some of the information may leak, media outlets should not publish it and turn it into a spectacle. Responsible coverage of mass shootings could lead to a significant decrease in incidents. Emergence of new proposals is a step in the right direction but more action needs to be taken to ensure that the media has specific ethical obligations when covering mass shootings.
References
Gun Violence Archive. (N.d.). Mass Shooting. Retrieved from http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting
Ingersoll, M. (2015). Ethical guidelines to media coverage of mass shootings. Retrieved from https://mattgaryingersoll.wordpress.com/2015/08/19/final-paper-ethical-guidelines-to-media-coverage-of-mass-shootings/
Johnston, J and Joy, A. (2017). Mass Shootings and the Media Contagion Effect. Western New Mexico University.
Ladd, T. (2015). Ethical Issues in Reporting on Mass Shootings. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@teeladdsays/ethical-issues-in-reporting-on-mass-shootings-5d8df2b9f65d
McBride, K. (2017). Best practices for covering mass shootings. Retrieved from https://www.poynter.org/news/best-practices-covering-mass-shootings
Montgomery, D., Mele, C., Fernandez, M. (2017). Gunman Kills at Least 26 in Attack on Rural Texas Church. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/us/church-shooting-texas.html?module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=U.S.&action=keypress®ion=FixedLeft&pgtype=article
Schmidt, S. (2017). ‘It was too much’: Reporter apologizes to Sutherland Springs for media ‘invasion’. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/11/10/it-was-too-much-reporter-apologizes-to-sutherland-springs-for-media-invasion/?utm_term=.85d1c23e39b5
Tufekci, Z. (2012). The Media Needs to Stop Inspiring Copycat Murders. Here's How. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/the-media-needs-to-stop-inspiring-copycat-murders-heres-how/266439/
