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THREAD/ Likely out of sheer volume, U.S. newsrooms have grappled more with questions about naming perpetrators of mass shootings than we have had to in Canada.
I’m going to link some debate and conversation out of U.S. newsrooms:
I’m going to link some debate and conversation out of U.S. newsrooms:
First, the research. The contagion effect surrounding mass shootings is not a wanton hypothesis. Here's the conclusion of a 2018 study:
"Our findings consistently suggest that media coverage systematically causes future mass shootings."
http://ftp.iza.org/dp11900.pdf
"Our findings consistently suggest that media coverage systematically causes future mass shootings."
http://ftp.iza.org/dp11900.pdf
There's also been activism from org's like No Notoriety.
"The argument is not that the shooter’s names should be blacked out, No Notoriety founder Tom Teaves [said]. It’s that their names should be used rarely and to “portray them for what they are.” https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/the-push-to-not-name-mass-shooters-is-catching-on.html
"The argument is not that the shooter’s names should be blacked out, No Notoriety founder Tom Teaves [said]. It’s that their names should be used rarely and to “portray them for what they are.” https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/the-push-to-not-name-mass-shooters-is-catching-on.html
. @teamtrace, which is dedicated to reporting on guns and gun violence, has also pushed this conversation, including through an on-going initiative to create guidelines for responsible reporting on mass shooters and their motives. https://www.thetrace.org/2019/08/mass-shooting-contagion-effect-media-coverage-guidelines/
I am obviously biased toward @teamtrace, though working with their team in 2018, but do learn more about this project, in partnership with the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism.
You can also get involved here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIriA7kSjOjW0cLh4W6nGmcKesyRMY_q4tSZBM8Y8aP-w8yA/viewform
You can also get involved here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIriA7kSjOjW0cLh4W6nGmcKesyRMY_q4tSZBM8Y8aP-w8yA/viewform
There is also very specific conversation surrounding profiles of mass shooters.
"Any coverage of mass shootings, some researchers argue, contributes to the contagion effect, while profiles carry an extra risk of incentivizing fame-seeking shooters." https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/jacksonville-shooting-contagion.php
"Any coverage of mass shootings, some researchers argue, contributes to the contagion effect, while profiles carry an extra risk of incentivizing fame-seeking shooters." https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/jacksonville-shooting-contagion.php
As one expert told @MilesKohrman and Katherine Reed:
“Many of these at-risk individuals recognize that murdering large numbers of men, women, or children will guarantee them fame. They believe their names and faces will adorn newspapers ... and unfortunately, they are right.”
“Many of these at-risk individuals recognize that murdering large numbers of men, women, or children will guarantee them fame. They believe their names and faces will adorn newspapers ... and unfortunately, they are right.”
As for some resources, the @DartCenter at Columbia University has useful compilation of tip sheets about covering mass shootings: https://dartcenter.org/resources/covering-mass-shootings-resources-journalists
Finally, this paper contains very concrete tips:
"Avoid in-depth descriptions of the shooter’s rationale for engaging in the behavior. In general, people are more likely to imitate the behaviors of other people who they view as similar to themselves." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5296697/
"Avoid in-depth descriptions of the shooter’s rationale for engaging in the behavior. In general, people are more likely to imitate the behaviors of other people who they view as similar to themselves." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5296697/
Justin Trudeau urged us not to use the Nova Scotia shooter's name, as Jacinda Ardern did after the Christchurch attack.
“He sought many things from his act of terror but one was notoriety, that is why you will never hear me mention his name,” she said. https://twitter.com/kkirkup/status/1252257343611514882
“He sought many things from his act of terror but one was notoriety, that is why you will never hear me mention his name,” she said. https://twitter.com/kkirkup/status/1252257343611514882
