III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 15 

Calling on the media to engage in responsible and voluntary journalistic 

practices to deny mass public murderers the attention they desire and 

minimize any possible ‘‘media contagion effect’’ of irresponsible and 

sensationalistic reporting practices. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 18, 2023 

Mr. LEE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Calling on the media to engage in responsible and voluntary 

journalistic practices to deny mass public murderers the 

attention they desire and minimize any possible ‘‘media 

contagion effect’’ of irresponsible and sensationalistic reporting practices. 

Whereas all acts of mass public murder are shameful, cowardly, sickening, and hereby condemned; 

Whereas many mass public murderers have openly stated 

their intention to commit mass murder to gain notoriety, 

infamy, and affect changes in public policy; 

Whereas the United States media widely publicizes these 

murderers’ names, photographs, life stories, motivations, 


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•SCON 15 IS 

social media posts, and manifestos, giving criminals the 

notoriety and infamy they desire; 

Whereas media coverage of a mass public murderer routinely 

outweighs the coverage of the victims; 

Whereas many mass public murderers have researched, studied, and idolized past acts of violence using the sensationalistic coverage provided by many media outlets; 

Whereas peer reviewed research adds to a growing body of 

evidence suggesting that current media coverage practices 

concerning mass public shootings demonstrably increase 

the likelihood of future mass public murders, including— 

(1) a 2016 study entitled ‘‘Mass Shootings and the 

Media Contagion Effect’’ published by the American Psychological Association, which suggests a media contagion 

effect; 

(2) a 2017 study entitled ‘‘Mass Shootings: The 

Role of the Media in Promoting Generalized Imitation’’ 

published in the American Journal of Public Health, 

which suggests a generalized imitation effect; and 

(3) a 2022 study entitled ‘‘News coverage and mass 

shootings in the U.S.’’ published in the European Economic Review, which suggests a behavioral contagion 

mechanism; 

Whereas research by the Violence Project suggests that mass 

public shootings are linked to and may be a form of suicide; and 

Whereas the media has found ways to responsibly and voluntarily limit coverage of other sensitive topics such as suicide, kidnapping, and national security for the common 

good: Now, therefore, be it 


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•SCON 15 IS 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress calls upon the media to volun3 tarily and responsibly— 

4 (1) cover mass public murderers with the simi5 lar sensitivity as other forms of suicide completion, 

6 with the understanding that a media contagion ef7 fect may encourage additional tragedies; 

8 (2) prioritize memorialization and coverage of 

9 the names, faces, and life stories of innocent victims 

10 killed or injured in a mass public murder; 

11 (3) prioritize coverage of the heroism of any law 

12 enforcement, first responders, or bystanders that in13 tervene, interrupt the attack, kill or subdue the mass 

14 public murderer, or otherwise assist the victims with 

15 critical medical assistance; 

16 (4) minimize harm by implementing policies 

17 and procedures to deny mass public murderers the 

18 infamy, notoriety, and public platform they desire; 

19 (5) deny mass public murderers their publicity20 related motives and intended goals, such as the pro21 motion of a particular ideology or public policy 

22 change; 

23 (6) not name suspected public murderers, ex24 cept when the alleged assailant is still at large and 

25 it would aid in the suspect’s capture; 


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•SCON 15 IS 

1 (7) not publish photos of a suspected public 

2 murderer, except when the alleged assailant is still 

3 at large and it would aid in the suspect’s capture; 

4 (8) avoid utilizing flattering social media profile 

5 pictures and other imagery the mass public mur6 derer proudly took of themselves, shared with others, 

7 or posted on social media; 

8 (9) refrain from naming mass public murderers 

9 in headlines and from displaying photos of mass 

10 public murderers above the fold of any print copy or 

11 at the top of any website’s home page; and 

12 (10) promote data and analysis in mental 

13 health, criminology, public safety, self-defense, secu14 rity, and other relevant professions to support fur15 ther steps to help eliminate the motivations behind 

16 mass public murder and deter future attacks. 

Æ 


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