It's no surprise we are losing innocent lives to school shootings and other senseless violence.

News travels fast, especially when it involves graphic, tragic, or disturbing information.

Sharing details about school shootings, like the type of weapon or the motive, may lead to copycat shootings.

The media consistently adoping ethical reporting standards could reduce the likelihood of copycat incidents.

When a shocking tragedy such as a mass shooting dominates the news cycle, many of us instinctively lean in, watch, and listen intently. We want to understand what happened, who was responsible, and why such a devastating event occurred. News outlets respond to that demand with minute-by-minute updates, dramatic headlines, and detailed accounts of the events as they unfolded.

Think of how some of the most infamous school shootings have been covered. It’s not uncommon for reporters to rush to the scene and push a microphone in the face of a student who is in shock, peppering them with questions: “Do you know the shooter? What did you see?”

Personally, I think back to Bree Pasquale who, after witnessing dozens of her classmates’ deaths in the Columbine library, was practically ambushed by a reporter aiming to get the details before the competition. The reporter asked Bree what she saw and pointed out that she had blood on her. Bree kept repeating “He did it right in front of us.” She was obviously traumatized, and many people still had loved ones inside the building. Yet there stood the reporter, mic in hand, aiming to get the story first.

Today, within an hour of a school shooting incident, it’s highly likely we will know who did it, how, and sometimes even why (even if its speculation). We often learn how they entered the school, the type of weapons they used, where they obtained the weapons, and how they managed to end the lives or injure so many. We may even be shown a map detailing point of entry, rooms in which students were killed, and the path the shooter took as the incident unfolded.

But what if the very way the media covers these tragedies actually increases the likelihood that they will happen again? And what if some........

© Psychology Today