The News Media Names Mass Shooters Less Often: Study
Beginning in 2012, the names of perpetrators of mass shootings have either been omitted or appeared less prominently in media reports, reinforcing efforts to deny shooters publicity for their deeds, according to a University of Memphis study.
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For the past 10 years, the news media has followed the example of law enforcement by reducing the number of times the name of a mass shooter, or any other information, is reported, thus depriving perpetrators of the publicity they often crave, reports Thomas J. Hrach in an analysis for The Conversation. But Hrach, an associate professor at the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media, University of Memphis, also warns that when the name is not used, other more relevant details, such as the person’s motives and background, may also not be reported.
Analyzing how often perpetrators were named in news articles within a week of mass shootings between 1999 and 2021, Hrach found that the more deaths there were, the more news reports used the perpetrator’s name throughout that entire time period. However, beginning in 2012, the number of times the news media used the perpetrator’s name in news reports started to decline. The decision to avoid naming mass shooting perpetrators is based on the idea that people who engage in mass shooting attacks do it out of the desire for publicity. Hrach’s research did not determine whether reducing the times a mass shooter is named was connected with reducing the amount of coverage of mass shooters’ background and motives.
