# Plain Language Summary: Media Responsibility Resolution

This resolution is Congress asking news organizations to voluntarily adopt better practices when covering mass shootings and other violent attacks. Specifically, it's calling on media outlets to reduce the amount of attention and airtime they give to the perpetrators of these crimes, and to avoid sensationalizing or glorifying the attackers in their reporting.

The concern behind this resolution is based on research suggesting that extensive media coverage of mass murderers can actually inspire copycat attacks. When news outlets repeatedly show the attacker's face, broadcast their manifestos, or extensively detail their background and motivations, it can inadvertently give these individuals the notoriety they're seeking. The resolution argues that this kind of coverage may encourage other potential attackers to commit similar crimes in hopes of achieving similar media attention. By toning down the focus on the perpetrator and instead emphasizing the victims and community response, news organizations could potentially reduce this "contagion effect."

It's important to note that this is a concurrent resolution, which means it's not a law—it has no legal force or enforcement power. Congress is essentially making a public statement and appeal to the media industry to police itself. News organizations are free to ignore it, as the First Amendment protects press freedom. The resolution doesn't mandate any changes; it's purely a recommendation asking journalists to consider the potential consequences of how they cover these tragic events and to adopt more responsible editorial standards on their own.

A 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.

Lee, Mike

 <p>This concurrent resolution calls on the media to voluntarily adopt certain practices to prevent further harm from its coverage of mass public murders. Specifically, it calls for coverage that (1) denies murderers a public platform; (2) minimizes the potential for media reporting to increase the likelihood of future mass public murders (i.e., the media contagion effect); and (3) prioritizes the victims of, and heroism in the response to, mass public murders.</p>