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I was talking specifically about naming the perpetrator, not that news coverage might create copycats: > the [FBI] developed the “Don’t Name Them” campaign. T

by dmix 4y ago

I was talking specifically about naming the perpetrator, not that news coverage might create copycats: > the [FBI] developed the “Don’t Name Them” campaign. The campaign aims to curb media-induced imitational mass shootings and suggests minimizing naming and describing the individuals involved in mass shootings, limiting sensationalism, and refusing to broadcast shooter statements or videos. This sort of thing comes up every time there's a mass shooting, commenters attack the media for naming the person. My point is that even if the media on non-specific about the names/motives those details will come out somewhere and people will find it if they want to. Trying to control specific information is a fools game. The one actual study they reference is how imitation suicides increased with coverage (ie subway jumpers -> more suicides via subway jumpers). https://sci-hub.st/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13811119808258290 https://sci-hub.st/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.10... I do believe reducing the volume of coverage could certainly have an effect. Wall-to-wall coverage makes these acts notorious and puts the ideas into peoples minds. If there is going to be reporting on it avoiding biographic details on the perp won't make much difference. Plus I really doubt the main motivation of most of these shooters is to be personally named, rather they want maximum impact for their crimes. They know the specific details will spread via other channels regardless, all it needs is the original seed in the media about the general crime.

giantg2 4y ago
I believe part of it is the volume providing ideas. But it still seems that a lot of it is about infamy, as referenced in the FBI link as well as these attacks. I think that while the volume provides the idea, the infamy is the "benefit" that the killer sees in that idea. It's possible that without that benefit, they might kill themselves instead of others. Not an ideal outcome, but certainly a better one. 'The Sandy Hook murderer kept a spreadsheet of previous mass murderers and their number of kills. The WDBJ murderer killed his victims while they were on the air! And then faxed his 23-page manifesto to ABC News. The Orlando Pulse nightclub murderer called a local news station during his attack! And then stopped to check Facebook to see if he'd gone viral. The Parkland murderer recorded and posted a video, stating, "When you see me on the news, you'll know who I am." The Aurora theater murderer told a psychiatrist that he recognized he couldn't make an impact on the world in science, but he could become famous by blowing people up. And most telling, the Umpqua Community College murderer wrote on his blog about a previous mass murderer, saying, "I've noticed that people like him are all alone and unknown. But when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are."' TED Talk by Tom Teves.

by dmix 4y ago

giantg2 4y ago

I believe part of it is the volume providing ideas. But it still seems that a lot of it is about infamy, as referenced in the FBI link as well as these attacks. I think that while the volume provides the idea, the infamy is the "benefit" that the killer sees in that idea. It's possible that without that benefit, they might kill themselves instead of others. Not an ideal outcome, but certainly a better one. 'The Sandy Hook murderer kept a spreadsheet of previous mass murderers and their number of kills. The WDBJ murderer killed his victims while they were on the air! And then faxed his 23-page manifesto to ABC News. The Orlando Pulse nightclub murderer called a local news station during his attack! And then stopped to check Facebook to see if he'd gone viral. The Parkland murderer recorded and posted a video, stating, "When you see me on the news, you'll know who I am." The Aurora theater murderer told a psychiatrist that he recognized he couldn't make an impact on the world in science, but he could become famous by blowing people up. And most telling, the Umpqua Community College murderer wrote on his blog about a previous mass murderer, saying, "I've noticed that people like him are all alone and unknown. But when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are."' TED Talk by Tom Teves.