Should Journalism be Involved in EVERYTHING?

Whether most people comprehend or know it, journalism is all around us. From news covering people's twitter and facebook feed to reading a newspaper on your commute into work to teens clicking on the discover tab Snapchat offers, we are being constant media consumers. This also means we have news more instantaneously. Within a few minutes of a major event happening, articles are published on major media outlets and are spread like wildfire. Whether it is a celebrity death or a shooting, we know almost immediately. This need and accessibility of information so rapidly has the potential to harm, however, in addition of benefiting us, specifically when talking about the negative or devestating news. 

February 14th, 2018. 

Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire in Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This incident killed 17 people, including students and faculty. In almost every single article I look at that covers this mass shooting, whether it be from NBC or CBS, almost every article states Nikolas Cruz's name before the victims names, if they even get around to mentioning them. Yes, it is important to know who did it. However, this constant attention has the potential to do more harm than it does help. By having everyone know Nikolas Cruz's name, he's become a minor celebrity, essentially. Not in a good way, but press is press and press can be turned if one is wise enough. 

This constant attention is sometimes what troubled minds, such as Nikolas Cruz, needs. For at least a month, I remember hearing his name everyday. When the surviving students arranged the March for Our Lives, his name spun back into the media attention. This essentially means he will be remembered for many years to come. In just a short few weeks, we will be at the 1 year anniversary of this shooting. Nikolas Cruz's name will be headlining major media outlets. Lets hope this doesnt encourage other young troubled minds to walk down the same path he did.