Should media outlets identify those who commit mass shootings?

ByDarren O

UCSB-mourns

As America finds itself in the wake of yet another tragic mass shooting, many of the same conversations are being struck up again about what can be done and what’s responsible for these acts that seem to be, tragically, inevitable.

There’s the gun debate and the issue of mental health treatment – but one other topic that has risen is the means in which these kinds of events are covered by the media. In particular, should news outlets down to blogs like ours identify and extrapolate on information regarding the person responsible for the atrocities?

In the current environment it’s always about trying to break news and to find unique information about the story that other disseminators haven’t covered. The obvious path to follow in this vein is to try to decipher the motive and reasons why for those who have committed these shootings.

The UCSB shootings highlighted this debate as the suspect posted a number of items via social media that were sensational, including a video confession that was discovered and shared thousands of times over not long after the atrocity.

On one hand these details are news while on the other many believe that the 24/7 endless coverage – in which the person’s photo, name and anything and everything else is posted, creates a false kind of infamy that might encourage others in desperate situations to “take themselves out” by doing the same type of act thus becoming instantly known throughout the world and providing a means for their grievances to be heard on a massive scale.

Also, there are many who find the focus becoming about the murderer and not the slain a disservice to those who have lost their lives as well as their families and loved ones.

What are your thoughts? Should there be a call for media at large to stop sharing details about those who are committing these mass shootings?

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