A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want
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0:01 - 0:03Every parent's worst nightmare:
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0:04 - 0:08July 20, 2012,
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0:09 - 0:11my phone rings at 4:30 in the morning.
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0:12 - 0:15It's my son Alex's girlfriend, Amanda,
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0:15 - 0:17saying hysterically,
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0:18 - 0:22"Tom, Tom, there's been a shooting,
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0:22 - 0:24and they dragged me out of the theater.
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0:25 - 0:26They wouldn't let me stay.
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0:26 - 0:29I wanted to [stay],
but they dragged me out." -
0:31 - 0:32I say to Amanda,
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0:32 - 0:35"Amanda, are you OK? Have you been hurt?"
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0:35 - 0:39And she said no, that she was fine,
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0:39 - 0:41that Alex had saved her life.
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0:43 - 0:44I then say,
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0:44 - 0:47"Amanda, where's Alex?"
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0:48 - 0:50And she says, sobbing,
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0:50 - 0:53"I don't know, we can't find him.
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0:53 - 0:54They dragged me out of the theater.
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0:54 - 0:56They made me leave.
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0:56 - 0:57He was shot.
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0:57 - 1:00I tried to wake him up,
but I couldn't wake him up. -
1:00 - 1:02He wouldn't get up.
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1:02 - 1:05They dragged me away.
I didn't want to leave him." -
1:07 - 1:10And I say to Amanda,
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1:12 - 1:14"The last time you saw Alex,
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1:15 - 1:17was he bleeding?
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1:18 - 1:24Did you have any of his blood on you?"
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1:25 - 1:29And she cries, "Yeah, a lot,"
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1:29 - 1:31and breaks down.
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1:33 - 1:34Alex loved Amanda.
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1:35 - 1:38And he was one of the most
honorable men on earth, -
1:38 - 1:40and at the age of 24,
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1:41 - 1:45he had to make the decision
to risk his life -
1:45 - 1:48in order to ensure she would live.
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1:49 - 1:53I knew in my heart if he couldn't get up,
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1:54 - 1:56he was dead.
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1:59 - 2:00I had just arrived
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2:02 - 2:03the night before
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2:04 - 2:06with my wife Caren
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2:06 - 2:08and my youngest son
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2:10 - 2:12for a week's vacation in Hawaii.
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2:13 - 2:15We were literally
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2:16 - 2:193,300 miles away.
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2:20 - 2:25Caren and I frantically started
calling his cell phone, -
2:25 - 2:26to no avail.
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2:26 - 2:28We left multiple messages.
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2:30 - 2:32We then turned to the media.
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2:33 - 2:34But all we could find
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2:36 - 2:38was information on the murderer
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2:38 - 2:40and his booby-trapped apartment.
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2:42 - 2:46We tried calling
the Aurora police station, -
2:46 - 2:49but it was impossible to get an answer.
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2:49 - 2:51But in hindsight, it was understandable.
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2:52 - 2:53They were dealing with
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2:54 - 2:5812 dead, 70 injured,
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2:59 - 3:01the carnage so bad,
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3:01 - 3:06the police had to bring
some of the victims to the hospitals -
3:06 - 3:08in the backs of their police cars,
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3:08 - 3:11because they had run out of ambulances.
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3:13 - 3:17It was a horrific and chaotic scene.
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3:19 - 3:21We would never see Alex again,
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3:23 - 3:25his injuries so severe
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3:25 - 3:29I had to shield even his mom
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3:29 - 3:31from looking upon him,
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3:31 - 3:36for fear that would be
the lasting image of him in her mind. -
3:37 - 3:41But you know who we would see
again and again? -
3:41 - 3:42The murderer.
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3:42 - 3:46His pictures were everywhere.
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3:47 - 3:50One article was six paragraphs long
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3:52 - 3:57and featured his name 41 times.
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3:57 - 4:01The media had made him famous.
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4:02 - 4:06But my firstborn son, Alex,
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4:06 - 4:07a hero,
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4:08 - 4:12was absent from those initial reports.
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4:13 - 4:18Caren and I immediately realized
that there was something wrong -
4:19 - 4:23with the way the media responds
to these random mass shootings -
4:24 - 4:25since Columbine.
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4:26 - 4:28We started doing research,
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4:30 - 4:32and we realized
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4:32 - 4:33that if we could change
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4:34 - 4:36the way the media reports,
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4:36 - 4:40we could reduce the amount of shootings
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4:40 - 4:42and save lives.
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4:43 - 4:50(Applause)
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4:52 - 4:54Let me explain.
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4:56 - 5:01Almost every single random mass shooter
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5:01 - 5:03has something in common.
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5:04 - 5:06Can anybody guess what that is?
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5:08 - 5:10They want notoriety.
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5:11 - 5:13They want to be famous.
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5:13 - 5:15In fact,
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5:15 - 5:21these murderers
are telling us this themselves. -
5:22 - 5:24The Sandy Hook murderer
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5:24 - 5:26kept a spreadsheet
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5:26 - 5:31of previous mass murderers
and their number of kills. -
5:32 - 5:37The Orlando Pulse nightclub murderer
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5:38 - 5:41called a local news station --
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5:41 - 5:43during his attack! --
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5:43 - 5:48and then stopped to check Facebook
to see if he'd gone viral. -
5:49 - 5:51The Parkland murderer
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5:52 - 5:55recorded and posted
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5:55 - 5:57a video
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5:57 - 5:58stating,
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5:59 - 6:03"When you see me on the news,
you'll know who I am." -
6:04 - 6:09The Aurora theater murderer
told his psychiatrist -
6:09 - 6:15that he recognized he couldn't
make an impact on the world in science, -
6:15 - 6:18but he could become famous
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6:18 - 6:20by blowing people up.
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6:21 - 6:23And most telling,
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6:23 - 6:27the Umpqua Community College murderer
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6:27 - 6:31wrote on his blog
about a previous mass murderer, -
6:31 - 6:33saying,
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6:33 - 6:37"I've noticed that people like him
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6:37 - 6:40are all alone and unknown,
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6:40 - 6:42but when they spill a little blood,
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6:42 - 6:45the whole world knows who they are."
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6:46 - 6:52A man who was known by no one
is now known by everyone, -
6:52 - 6:56his face splashed across every screen,
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6:56 - 6:57his name on the lips
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6:57 - 7:00of everyone on the planet,
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7:01 - 7:02all in one day.
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7:04 - 7:07It seems like the more people you kill,
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7:08 - 7:10the more you're in the limelight.
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7:12 - 7:14These are just a few examples.
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7:16 - 7:17I could go on and on.
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7:17 - 7:22These murderers are telling us
they want to be famous -
7:22 - 7:24like the murderers before them,
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7:25 - 7:31and the media continues to give them
exactly what they seek: -
7:31 - 7:33notoriety.
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7:36 - 7:39The gun debate is very emotional,
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7:40 - 7:44and our mental health issues
are very complicated. -
7:46 - 7:48Both will take time to correct.
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7:49 - 7:52But to reduce the carnage,
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7:52 - 7:56we don't need an act of Congress.
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7:56 - 7:59What we need is an act of conscience
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7:59 - 8:03on the producers
and consumers of mass media -
8:03 - 8:06to remove the reward of notoriety.
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8:07 - 8:13(Applause)
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8:16 - 8:18So to save lives,
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8:19 - 8:21Caren and I launched "No Notoriety,"
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8:22 - 8:25dedicated to challenging the media
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8:25 - 8:27to protect our communities
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8:27 - 8:31by adhering to these
research-backed principles. -
8:32 - 8:35One: report all the facts
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8:35 - 8:37on the mindset,
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8:37 - 8:38demographics
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8:38 - 8:42and motivational profile
of these shooters, -
8:42 - 8:46but minimize their names and images,
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8:46 - 8:48unless they're at large.
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8:49 - 8:54Two: limit the use of the shooter's name
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8:54 - 8:55to once per piece,
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8:55 - 8:57never in the headlines
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8:57 - 9:00and no pictures in prominent locations.
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9:01 - 9:02And three --
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9:03 - 9:04Three.
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9:04 - 9:05(Laughter)
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9:05 - 9:07I'm not good with numbers.
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9:07 - 9:08(Laughter)
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9:09 - 9:15Refuse to publish
any self-serving material -
9:15 - 9:17provided by the shooters.
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9:17 - 9:23(Applause)
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9:25 - 9:27To be clear:
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9:27 - 9:30this is not an infringement
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9:30 - 9:33on anyone's First Amendment rights.
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9:33 - 9:36This is not censorship.
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9:36 - 9:39We are merely asking the media
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9:39 - 9:44to leverage guidelines
they already have in place. -
9:44 - 9:46For example,
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9:46 - 9:49the media does not report
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9:49 - 9:52on journalists that have been kidnapped
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9:52 - 9:54in order to protect them.
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9:55 - 9:58The media does not report
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9:58 - 9:59the names and images
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9:59 - 10:04of victims of sexual assault or suicide.
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10:04 - 10:08These responsible journalistic practices
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10:08 - 10:10protect public safety
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10:10 - 10:13with zero impact
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10:13 - 10:15on the public's right to know.
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10:16 - 10:18Academic studies show
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10:19 - 10:22that the average news consumer
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10:22 - 10:25wants to hear less about the shooters.
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10:26 - 10:27Instead,
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10:28 - 10:32the media should elevate
the names and images -
10:33 - 10:37of the victims,
both murdered and injured, -
10:37 - 10:39the heroes
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10:39 - 10:41and the first responders.
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10:42 - 10:43They should --
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10:43 - 10:47(Applause)
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10:48 - 10:53They should promote data and analysis
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10:53 - 10:59from experts on the fields
of mental health and public safety. -
11:00 - 11:01All the experts agree.
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11:02 - 11:04The FBI,
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11:04 - 11:07the International Police Association,
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11:07 - 11:11the Major City Chiefs Association
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11:11 - 11:12and A.L.E.R.T.,
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11:13 - 11:19the law enforcement organization
dedicated to training first responders -
11:19 - 11:22to stop active shooters,
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11:22 - 11:25all endorse the principles
of No Notoriety. -
11:26 - 11:30In fact, in 2014,
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11:30 - 11:35the FBI started the "Don't Name Them"
campaign in support of the idea. -
11:36 - 11:42The American Psychiatric Association
supports reducing and minimizing -
11:42 - 11:45the identification of these shooters.
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11:46 - 11:49The idea has gone worldwide,
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11:49 - 11:52with the Prime Minister of New Zealand
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11:52 - 11:54calling for no notoriety
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11:54 - 11:56after the Christchurch shootings.
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11:58 - 12:02But as much as we want
the media to change, -
12:02 - 12:06they are for-profit organizations.
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12:07 - 12:11They won't change unless
we hold them accountable. -
12:13 - 12:17(Applause)
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12:17 - 12:21The media makes their money
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12:21 - 12:23from advertising
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12:23 - 12:26based on the number of viewers and clicks.
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12:27 - 12:34If we can reduce the number
of viewers and clicks on any subject, -
12:34 - 12:37the media will change
the way they report on it. -
12:38 - 12:44So the next time you see
any media organization -- -
12:44 - 12:48print, digital, radio or television --
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12:48 - 12:54gratuitously leveraging the names
and images of these shooters, -
12:54 - 12:56stop watching,
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12:56 - 12:58stop listening,
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12:58 - 13:00stop clicking,
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13:00 - 13:02stop liking
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13:02 - 13:03and stop sharing.
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13:03 - 13:07Write to the producers,
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13:07 - 13:12editors, station managers and CEOs
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13:12 - 13:14of these news organizations.
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13:14 - 13:19Take note of the advertisers
who support those segments -
13:19 - 13:22and write to their CEOs.
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13:22 - 13:24Because together,
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13:25 - 13:29we can push the media
to act in the interest -
13:29 - 13:31of public safety,
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13:31 - 13:33not profits.
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13:34 - 13:36It's too late for Alex,
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13:37 - 13:39and it's too late for my family.
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13:40 - 13:43But please don't join
our club by inaction, -
13:44 - 13:47the club nobody wants to join.
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13:47 - 13:49The due's too high.
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13:50 - 13:53Because it's not too late
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13:53 - 13:57for people who aren't victims yet.
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13:57 - 13:59We have the power
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14:00 - 14:04to reduce random mass shootings.
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14:05 - 14:06Let's use it.
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14:06 - 14:07Thank you.
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14:08 - 14:13(Applause)
- Title:
- A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want
- Speaker:
- Tom Teves
- Description:
-
On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting in a movie theater of Aurora, Colorado left the town, and the nation, reeling. To many -- including Tom Teves, who lost his son in the tragedy -- the news coverage that followed focused on all the wrong things. Why did the reporting overwhelmingly fixate on the shooter rather than the lives of the victims or the heroic efforts of first responders? With urgency and measure, Teves calls for media attention that acts in the interest of the public (instead of profit) by revoking what shooters want most: infamy.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 14:27
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want | ||
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want | ||
Joseph Geni edited English subtitles for A call to end the media coverage mass shooters want |