A WESTERN NEW MEXICO ASSISTANT PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR PROPOSED NOT NAMING THE SHOOTING IN ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATIONS. PROFESSOR JENNIFER JOHNSTON SAYS THE MEDIA SHOULD NEITHER NAME NOR SHOW THE OFFENDER.
SHE SAYS SHE’S BASED THAT ON TWO DIFFERENT STUDIES, CONCLUDING THAT NAMING THE SHOOTER ONLY GLORIFIES THE SUSPECT AND GIVES THEM THE FAME THEY SEEK. THE MEDIA ALREADY DOES NOT NAME PEOPLE WHO COMMIT SUICIDE, AND THOSE WHO CALL IN BOMB THREATS.
JOHNSTON BELIEVES OMITTING THE NAME OF THE OFFENDER WILL DECREASE THE NUMBER OF MASS SHOOTINGS BY A THIRD IN ONE TO TWO YEARS.
