The Nebraska Mall Massacre

A nineteen-year old kills eight people and himself in another senseless shooting spree:

OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - A 19-year-old man killed eight people and then himself with an assault rifle at a busy mall in Omaha on Wednesday, sending terrified workers and Christmas shoppers scrambling for cover.

"Now I will be famous," the gunman wrote in a suicide note, his landlady told CNN after finding a three-part document that she said included his will.

Police declined to discuss the contents of the note.

Five people were wounded, two of them critically, in the early afternoon rampage in the Midwestern U.S. city. Most of the victims at the upscale Westroads Mall were shot inside the Von Maur department store near the children's clothing area.

I think it's time the media collectively change its policy when reporting these tragedies. Instead of prominently featuring the perpetrator, they should focus more on the victims and the senseless loss of life. Instead of sensationalizing the coverage, they should send the message that if you massacre people, we will bury you in obscurity instead of helping you get(in)famous. Madness like this shouldn't be rewarded with notoriety.

Label(s): Thoughts

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