What Journalists Should Remember When Covering Mass Shootings
The United States has experienced a dozen mass shootings over Memorial Day Weekend alone. Until legislation passes that makes it more difficult for things like this to happen, the country will continue to experience a staggering amount of mass shootings every year. The simultaneous commonality and horror of the mass shooting news cycle can be an intimidating place to work as a journalist.
One of the hardest things to do is to sift through the continual confusion that comes after a mass shooting. Myths, rumors, and misinformation fly all over the place; witnesses are extremely traumatized; the finger of blame is always pointing someplace else, and finding a clear through line of concise information to report can feel like an impossible task.
WHY DO RUMORS FLY?
According to the Dave Cullen, a journalist who covered the Columbine murders, the shooting set up the genesis point for the rumours he experienced. Rumors come from three key places: Firstly, from preconceptions of the perpetrators (i.e. media reporting that the shooters were “outcasts”). Secondly, from extrapolation of fragments of data that were inappropriately highlighted (in Columbine’s case, the “trenchcoat mafia” myth, a clique of high schoolers who had very little to do with the shooting but fit the “outcast” profile) and thirdly, from a fixation on a certain narrative (in Columbine’s case, the outcast/trenchcoat mafia myth led to the belief that it was Harris and Klebold’s goal solely to murder jocks in the school). Once these three elements are in place, it’s almost impossible to get to the heart of the matter objectively.
WHO ARE YOUR SOURCES?
The victims and parents in these situations are almost certainly not going to respond well to a gaggle of journalists breathing down their necks at every possibility. Instead of joining the pack, cultivating sources from the community is more valuable. Sharon Schmickle from The Minneapolis Star Tribune said:
“While covering the Rocori High and Red Lake High School shootings in Minnesota, I learned the value of friends you cultivate in a small town. While the press mob descends on the campus, people removed from the scene — a waitress at a coffee shop down the road or the lunch lady at the senior center — can, in effect, act as your fixer. This person, who knows everyone in town, also can serve as a buffer for survivors who want their stories told but aren't prepared to deal with the pack of journalists.”
MINDFULNESS TOWARD YOUR SUBJECTS AND YOURSELF IS KEY
Mass shootings result in abrupt pain and loss for every single person in the community and the so-called “media circus” that turns up around the event is antithetical to that. While rumors and speculations fly, often the real people who were impacted by this can be left behind. Highlighting their stories is important. But not only highlighting their story–making space for their pain. That means not rushing interviews, that means giving your subjects the time they need to cope and the space for privacy if they need it, and that means checking in with your own empathy and how much of the subject’s pain you, yourself are taking on. Processing that pain is key to writing the most honest version of the story.
SCHEDULE BREAKS
The amount of death and grief that follows any kind of mass attack is absolutely draining. If you aren’t taking care to sleep, eat, and take appropriate breaks to release yourself from the onslaught of negativity brought on by dealing with this scope of event, it will not serve you or the story.
From Philip Williams, who relayed his experiencecovering the Madrid bombings for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
“For five days, I averaged one hour's sleep a night. By the end of the assignment I was a physical and emotional wreck — the long hours combining with the harrowing interviews with survivors and the relatives of those killed. On day five, my speech was beginning to slur and my thought processes were so slow I could barely function. In short, I was exhausted — and so was my capacity to work properly. If I'd just said I need a decent sleep to continue, I would have been able to stay on the job.”
“My mistake was I didn't want to admit I needed a break. No doubt in the coming days editors will be demanding continuous coverage, but it is in both the organisation's and your own interest to rest. If you don't, something will give. Don't stay out late, don't overwork ... get to bed. You'll be a better reporter for a good nights sleep.”
THESE STORIES NEVER END
One of the hardest things about covering mass shootings in the USA is the seeming perpetuity. More loss, more death, more grief, and yet nothing ever changes in the way most Americans have been expecting since Columbine. Still, our job as journalists remains to tell the truth and to point out what informational, societal, and governmental conditions brought us to this place even if it’s been drilled into us over and over again.
Support can be found for communities grieving through this experience, Support can also be found for journalists who are feeling isolated or exceptionally traumatized by this work.
Until the United States passes comprehensive gun legislation to fight against the commonality of these mass shootings, journalists have their work cut out for them. Each one of these resources provides an essential life raft for the journalist while they navigate an impossible situation.
