By Scott St. Clair | The Save Jersey Blog
The Washington Post‘s Eric Wemple’s rejection of Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin’s entreaty to not publish the name of the Umpqua Community College shooter was knee-jerk, Save Jerseyans. The media played a role in fostering these shootings, and it’s time for accountability.
It’s one thing to accurately report facts and details, but with a 24/7/365 news cycle augmented by social media’s second-by-second posts and tweets, publicity fuels the fire.
No platitudes about “freedom of the press” or “the public’s right to know” since with that freedom comes some responsibility, and, as a member of the public, I don’t care about him since he forfeited the right to be mourned and remembered.
There are plenty of descriptive words you don’t publish, including racial and ethnic slurs, so why not include the equally vile name of a gruesome mass killer whose actions debase us all?
Pathetic, anti-social losers who commit these acts crave your spotlight. They feed on the publicity you give them, and the only way to deter them is end that glorification. Consign the UCC shooter to the ignominious oblivion he richly deserves. In your book, put a mark through his name to obliterate it, and let him be forgotten while his victims are memorialized.
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I’m reminded of British press tradition of never referring to a criminal as Mr. in their reports.