Mass shootings spawn misinformation: Fact-checking the El Paso and Dayton shootings revealed three findings, write Daniel Funke, Susan Benkelman and Cristina Tardaguila.
Conspiracy mongering, rumors via messaging apps and hoaxes abound.
Tag Archives: Mass shootings
A Welcome Shift In News Ethics
A welcome shift in news ethics: Kelly McBride notes a vast majority of media covering the Virginia Beach murders refrained from naming the shooter unless absolutely necessary.
“It demonstrates that newsrooms can alter their standards and practices in a fairly dramatic way over a relatively short period of time….,” she wrote, to avoid glorifying a criminal and inspiring future mass murders.
Shooting Journalists
Shooting journalists: Sabrina Tavernise, Amy Harmon and Maya Salam report that mass shooting found a new target at the Capital Gazette, killing five.
“For a country that has grown numb to mass shootings, this was a new front,” they wrote. It is “a rare attack on a news organization, one of the oldest in America….”
Profiling Killers Or Victims?
Profiling killers or victims?
Russell Frank writes that mental health professionals urge journalists to focus less on the perpetrators of shooting rampages and more on the victims.
“The question that arises with every mass shooting is whether these instant illustrated profiles of the killers do more harm than good,” he writes.
Media Trauma at Mass Shootings
Media melees at mass shootings seen as a second trauma to grief-stricken communities. Jon Allsop offers five ideas for more respectful media coverage, like good manners.
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 