On November 8, 2013 the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled “What Mass Killers Want – And How to Stop Them” by Ari N. Schulman.

The first part of the article describes an overview of massacre killers.  The article references that unlike serial killers who are driven by inflicting pain over and over that massacre killers generally do not have a history of violence and commit a single act of violence.  This single act of violence is seen by the killers as a theater and that once the massacre is over the media will publicize the motives behind the killings.

The article also describes how journalist and the police can assist in preventing an increase in massacre killings.  In 2001 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Mental Health and the surgeon general jointly released a set of reporting guidelines for journalists.   In addition to the guidelines the article talks about other ways that journalists and police can help including:

• Do more to deprive the killer of an audience
  • Never publish a shooter’s propaganda
  • Hide their names and faces
  • Don’t report their biography or speculate motive
• Withhold or embargo details
  • Minimize specifics and gory details
  • No photos or videos of the event
• Remove the dark aura of mystery
  • Talk to the victims but minimize images of grieving families
  • Decrease the saturation
  • Tell a different story

For the full article, please click here.