Public officials are joining the movement toward downplaying the name of assailants after mass killings to avoid copycat events.
If Virginia Beach authorities have their way, the gunman who killed 12 people and injured four others in Friday’s shooting rampage won’t join the ranks of infamous mass murderers in U.S. history.By declining to use DeWayne Craddock’s name beyond his initial identification as the shooter, Police Chief James Cervera and other officials in the Virginia resort town are joining a growing movement toward depriving mass killers the notoriety many of them are believed to crave.
After a hate-fueled assault on two New Zealand mosques in March resulted in 51 deaths, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressly avoided mentioning the name of the attacker, an avowed white supremacist so thirsty for recognition that he livestreamed the massacre. Lankford, who called evidence of the contagion effect “indisputable,’’ said these attempts at minimizing its impact are effective only to a point.
Nicole Dahmen, associate professor at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication, said a question that is emerging in newsrooms across the country is how to perform that duty while minimizing harm. More: How cops cope with shooting trauma: 'They’re going to be forever changed,' Virginia Beach police chief says
Those can veer into the politically polarizing topic of gun control, but she points instead to coverage of numerous other issues related to the topic, such as school-safety programs, “red-flag’’ laws and the impact of active-shooter drills.
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