GRAVEYARD DEAD: The Deadliest Mass Shooting Incentive We Never Talk About

How Media Contagion Turned Mass Murder Into a Pathway to Recognition

GRAVEYARD DEAD: The Deadliest Mass Shooting Incentive We Never Talk About

How Media Contagion Turned Mass Murder Into a Pathway to Recognition

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #688: Sunday, December 14th, 2025.

Two mass shootings in less than 24 hours.

Different countries.
Different weapons.
Different political systems.

Same outcome: dead bodies, broken families…rolling coverage…endless speculation…and the same hollow refrain:

“How could this happen again?”

Here’s a harder question; one that makes people squirm, especially in newsrooms:

What if part of the reason it keeps happening is that we’ve built a system that quietly rewards it?

Not morally.
Not intentionally.
But structurally.

Before we go any further…let’s be clear about something upfront.

Mass shootings are multi-causal events.
There is no single factor.
No silver bullet.
No monocausal explanation that fits every case.

They emerge from a hierarchy of interacting forces:

• Social isolation

• Identity collapse

• Mental health crises

• Online radicalization

• Access and opportunity

• Cultural scripts of grievance

This article does not claim media contagion is the only cause.

But it is one of the highest-leverage factors…one of the few that:

• Has strong empirical support

• Operates across cultures and countries

• Can be modified without legislation

• Produces measurable reductions when addressed

In the hierarchy of causes…media contagion is not the root.

But…it is the accelerant.

And accelerants matter.

So for this article, we’re isolating one variable…deliberately…because it’s the one most people refuse to confront honestly.

The Contagion Nobody Wants to Own

When people hear “contagion,” they recoil.

They imagine you’re saying:

• Shooters are “inspired” by violence

• Or that coverage “causes” shootings

• Or that journalists are morally responsible

That’s not what the research says.

Contagion doesn’t mean imitation in the cartoon sense.

It means availability + validation + reward.

Here’s the mechanism, stripped of moral language:

1. An alienated individual experiences grievance…humiliation…or perceived erasure

2. They search…consciously or unconsciously…for a script that explains their pain

3. They observe that certain acts produce instant global recognition

4. They learn the pattern: name…face…manifesto…endless analysis

5. The act becomes a viable pathway to significance

Not to happiness.
Not to success.
To being seen.

And for someone who feels invisible…that matters more than life itself.

Attention Is the Currency…Not Violence

This is where journalists bristle.

Because the problem is not gore.
It’s not graphic imagery.
It’s not even outrage.

The problem is attention concentration.

When a mass shooting occurs…modern media does something extraordinary:

• It suspends normal programming

• It devotes wall-to-wall coverage

• It repeats the shooter’s name hundreds of times

• It displays photos…videos…timelines…childhood anecdotes

• It dissects motives…grievances…and writings

In effect, it says…without ever meaning to:

This is how you force the world to look at you.

And then we’re shocked…when people who crave recognition notice.

The Research Is Not Ambiguous

This isn’t speculative.
It’s not fringe.
It’s not ideological.

The findings are consistent across decades:

• Name-and-face coverage increases copycat risk

• Manifesto amplification provides grievance templates

• Intensity and duration of coverage correlate with clustering

• Spikes occur after high-profile saturation events

In plain language:

The more we turn perpetrators into narratives…the more we provide scripts for the next one.

When looking at all mass skillings…this is not because people “want to kill.”

It’s because identity-seeking under despair gravitates toward visible outcomes.

We didn’t invent this with shootings.

The same effect exists with:

• Suicides

• Terror attacks

• School violence

• Celebrity self-harm

And in every one of those domains…media restraint reduced incidents.

Every. Damn. One.

Why This Factor Ranks So High

In the hierarchy of causes, media contagion sits near the top for one simple reason:

It acts on every other factor simultaneously.

It doesn’t care whether the shooter is:

• Mentally ill

• Ideologically radicalized

• Socially isolated

• Motivated by grievance

• Seeking revenge or meaning

Media amplification magnifies whatever motive already exists.

It doesn’t create the fire.
It throws oxygen on it.

That’s why it matters so much.

The Recognition Economy of Mass Murder

Here’s the most uncomfortable truth in this entire discussion:

Mass shootings function, in part, as a perverse form of social mobility.

Not economically.
Not morally.
Symbolically.

A person who feels erased can:

• Force presidents to speak their name

• Command global attention

• Become the subject of documentaries

• Enter public memory

We don’t like to say that out loud.

But the behavior only makes sense once you understand recognition deprivation.

When legitimate pathways to status collapse…illegitimate ones become attractive.

And media coverage defines which illegitimate pathways work.

“But We’re Just Reporting the News”

That’s the reflexive defense.

And it misses the point entirely.

This is not about censorship.
It’s not about hiding facts.
It’s not about suppressing information.

It’s about what gets emphasized, repeated, and rewarded.

Journalism already exercises discretion constantly:

• What leads the broadcast

• Which images run

• Whose voices get airtime

• What context frames the story

The question is not whether editorial judgment exists.

The question…is whether it’s being used responsibly…in a domain where the stakes are literally life and death.

How We Accidentally Built a Notoriety Machine

No one sat in a newsroom and said, “Let’s incentivize mass murder.”

This evolved unintentionally through:

• The 24-hour news cycle

• Click-driven economics

• Social media virality

• Competitive pressure

• Emotional storytelling norms

Each outlet fears:

• Being first, not thoughtful

• Losing audience share

• Appearing to “hide” information

So…everyone races toward the same cliff.

And every time…we tell ourselves:

“This time is different.”

It isn’t.

The Manifesto Problem

One of the most damaging practices is the amplification of shooter writings.

Manifestos serve three functions:

1. They justify violence retrospectively

2. They provide ideological framing

3. They offer grievance scripts for others

Publishing excerpts…even critically…does something dangerous:

It validates the shooter’s belief that their pain deserves a platform.

Once again…the message isn’t explicit.

It’s structural.

The Illusion of “Understanding Motive”

Another journalistic trap is the obsession with motive.

We’re told:

“We need to understand why this happened.”

But in mass shooting contexts…motive analysis often:

• Centers the perpetrator

• Elevates their grievances

• Turns pathology into narrative

• Encourages identification…not prevention

Understanding motive is useful for clinicians and investigators.

It is far less useful as broadcast entertainment.

And…it comes at a cost.

What Actually Works: The No-Notoriety Approach

There is a proven alternative.

It’s not radical.
It’s not new.
It’s not censorship.

It’s called No Notoriety.

The principles are simple:

• Don’t publish the shooter’s name prominently

• Don’t display their image repeatedly

• Don’t link to manifestos

• Don’t dramatize the perpetrator’s life

• Do focus on victims…helpers…and recovery

When this approach has been adopted…fully, not performatively…copycat incidents decline.

Not disappear.
Decline.

That’s what success looks like in public health.

Delayed Coverage Protocols

Another high-impact intervention is delay.

Not silence.
Delay.

• Verify facts before broadcasting

• Avoid live speculation

• Resist minute-by-minute escalation

Delay…breaks the immediate notoriety loop.

It reduces the reward.

And rewards drive behavior.

Re-Centering the Story Where It Belongs

There is no ethical obligation to turn perpetrators into protagonists.

None.

Coverage can focus on:

• Victims’ lives

• Community response

• Structural prevention

• Resilience and recovery

These narratives do not feed contagion.

They do not provide scripts.

They do not reward the act.

Platform Responsibility: The Second Amplifier

Traditional media is only half the equation.

Social platforms:

• Spread names faster

• Preserve content indefinitely

• Algorithmically reward outrage

• Enable glorification subcultures

This is where enforcement matters.

Not ideology policing.
Not viewpoint suppression.

Behavioral enforcement.

• No glorification

• No hero narratives

• No gamification

• No tactical fetishization

Platforms already do this for suicide content.

The same logic…applies here.

Greatest ROI: Why This Matters More Than Almost Anything Else

If you could only change one thing…tomorrow…that would reduce mass shootings at scale…this would be near the top of the list.

Why?

Because it:

• Requires no legislation

• Costs relatively little

• Operates across borders

• Preserves constitutional rights

• Targets behavioral incentives directly

You don’t need to change the Second Amendment.
You don’t need to confiscate weapons.
You don’t need to restructure society overnight.

You need to stop rewarding the act.

Likelihood of Adoption: Higher Than You Think

Despite resistance, this is one of the most likely reforms to spread.

Why?

• Journalists already know the research

• Many privately agree

• The public increasingly understands contagion

• No constitutional barrier exists

What’s missing is collective coordination.

No outlet wants to move first.

But once norms shift…they shift fast.

The Moral Reckoning We’re Avoiding

Every time a mass shooting occurs, we ask:

“How could this person do this?”

We almost never ask:

“What signals did our culture send about what would happen if they did?”

That question implicates systems…not monsters.

And systems…are harder to yell at.

The Final Truth

Mass shootings are not just acts of violence.

They are acts of communication.

A message written in blood…aimed at a society that measures existence by attention.

We can’t stop all of them.
We can’t fix everything at once.

But we can stop turning killers into household names.

And if we don’t…if we keep pretending this isn’t part of the problem…then the next headline isn’t a mystery.

It’s a consequence.

#HoldFast

Back soon,

-Jack

P.S.
No one is asking journalists to lie.

They’re asking them to stop accidentally advertising…the most destructive path to recognition available in modern society.

Also, over the coming days and weeks, I’ll be writing in similar detail about the other factors contributing, how they rank on impact, how likely they are to be implemented, etc.

Some will be available to all subscribers…and some…will be for paid subscribers only.

Whether you just read the free articles…or all of them…I’m confident you’ll gain at least as much insight as I do, researching…writing…and thinking about these issues for prolonged periods of focus.

-Jack

Sources & Further Reading

Media Contagion & Copycat Effects

• Towers et al. (2015). Contagion in Mass Killings and School Shootings. PLOS ONE

• Johnston & Joy (2016). Mass Shootings and the Media Contagion Effect. American Behavioral Scientist

• Meindl & Ivy (2017). The Role of the Media in Promoting Generalized Imitation. American Journal of Public Health

• Coleman, L. (2004). The Copycat Effect.

No-Notoriety & Responsible Coverage

• No Notoriety Movement: Principles for responsible coverage of mass violence

• Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma: Best practices for covering mass shootings

• World Health Organization: Media guidelines for reducing violence and suicide contagion

Fame, Grievance & Violence

• Lankford (2016). Fame-Seeking Rampage Shooters. Aggression and Violent Behavior

• Baumeister et al. (1996). Threatened Egotism and Violence. Psychological Review

Digital Amplification & Radicalization

• Berger (2018). Extremism. MIT Press

• Conway et al. (2019). Online Extremism and Persistent Exposure. Terrorism and Political Violence

Journalism Ethics

• Society of Professional Journalists: Code of Ethics

• Poynter Institute: Ethical guidance on covering mass violence