News media organizations have largely adopted best practices when reporting on mass shootings to avoid giving undue attention to shooters and thus minimizing contagion or inspiring copycats.
Yet there are some details about the school attack Monday in Nashville, where a 28-year-old carrying two AR-style firearms and a handgun shot and killed three students and three adults, that are distracting some journalists from those practices.
Here are a few quick suggestions:
- The shooter’s name – Minimize the shooter’s identity. Avoid putting the shooter’s name in a headline or other display type. Steer clear of images that might glorify the shooter. Be wary of photos that show a shooter posing in any particular manner. Instead, if it’s necessary to run a photo, run it small, crop it tight and use it sparingly.
- Avoid “manifesto” – A police search of the shooter’s home turned up a document the police are calling a “manifesto.” That’s probably an overblown term. A manifesto is a public declaration of values and intentions. By definition, a manifesto is clear and logical. Most documents left behind by shooters are confusing, illogical attempts to justify their behavior. In this case, all that’s known is that police say there’s a manifesto. That’s probably not enough information to repeat the word. Just say “documents” or “writings.” No need to make it sound more important than it is. Also, if it becomes available, be very clear about the journalistic purpose of publishing any excerpts.
- The shooter’s gender identity – The police reported on the day of the attack that the shooter was transgender. That may turn out to be wrong or incomplete. And it’s unclear what that has to do with the shooting. Yet some news organizations are publishing photos and social media posts that spotlight the shooter and suggest a causal relationship between gender identity and this act of violence. There is no evidence to support that at this point. Both news and entertainment media have contributed to the inaccurate characterization of trans people as dangerous and unhinged. Be cautious of contributing to that trope. Until it’s known what pronouns are appropriate, just avoid them. This is doable, given the best practice of minimizing information about the shooter unless it’s clearly connected to the attack.
- Focus on the obvious reporting questions – Where did the guns come from? Were there warning signs that should have been noted? How did first responders perform? Just because some of the details about this shooter are different, it doesn’t mean those basic questions are unimportant.
- Be cautious when reporting on mental health – Speculation about mental health can be harmful in the absence of concrete reporting. While there are always more questions than answers when it comes to understanding the motivations of a mass shooter, it is important to ask those questions in a responsible way. Avoid broad implications about mental health conditions that could be unfairly applied to entire groups.
Finally, all these issues will become politicized. The news organizations that stay focused on uncovering facts will best serve their audiences.
