In December 2024, a mass school shooting rocked the community of Madison, Wisconsin. Grace Johnson writes that the now-familiar mass-shooting media cycle has since been disrupted by the identification of the suspect as a 15-year-old girl. Reflecting on this and the 2023 Nashville mass shooting, she argues that to better understand mass shooting events, researchers must examine how perpetrators’ gender identity impacts media coverage, continue to explore how to handle materials left by mass shooters, and analyse the impact of disinformation on how mass shootings are discussed more widely.

“Bad news sells,” but especially if the perpetrator is… 

Research has backed the notion that mass shootings are not immune to this old colloquialism. The “newsworthiness” of an incident can be impacted by the number of casualties, location, or motive. In addition, particular elements of a perpetrator’s identity can greatly impact the coverage a shooting receives, with race and ethnicity being particularly influential. Research has yet to explore the impact of perpetrators’ gender identity in the media and wider discourse. Why? Simply, there hasn’t been much need to. The overwhelming majority of mass shootings are committed by men.

The mass shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School on December 16th, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin rocked the local community just days before the holiday break was due to start. Media attention and online speculation ran rampant when authorities revealed they suspected a 15-year-old girl to be responsible. Much like last month’s events in Madison, following the March 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, speculation was rife when initial reporting identified a 28-year-old female as the primary suspect. As authorities released further information, it became evident that the perpetrator was a transgender man. The media, conservative outlets in particular, were quick to report on the unusual circumstances surrounding this case. Reports of an alleged “manifesto” surfaced and the frenzy showed no signs of slowing. Social media exploded, and mis- and disinformation spread like wildfire.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) faced unrelenting calls to release the journal found in the perpetrator’s home from not only members of the community, but also from several high-profile Republican politicians and conservative commentators. Nashville became the centre of the reignited, complex debate over the handling of the materials that mass shooters leave behind. As debate swirled, the MNPD remained somewhat tight-lipped about the contents of the journal, though they did shortly after state that it would be eventually released when the investigation concluded.

Faced with the prospect of a long wait – and perhaps wanting to capitalise on the attention around the discourse – in May 2023 the Tennessee Firearms Association and National Police Association (pro-gun and police advocacy non-profits respectively) sued the MNPD to release the perpetrator’s writings under open records laws. The parents of the children killed, the school, and its affiliated church launched an opposition bid to keep the writings sealed. They argued it was of paramount importance to keep from re-traumatising those involved and to avoid inspiring potential future attacks. The judge soon ruled that the parents did have the right to intervene to stop the release, and thus the unprecedented legal case began. This ruling, though just the beginning of a long trial, was significant because it laid precedent for victims to intervene if similar cases arise in the future.

In an unexpected turn of events a conservative commentator leaked an excerpt of the journal in the fall of 2023. In the chaos that followed, some celebrated the leak while others condemned it. The MNPD launched an investigation as to how it could have happened. Many speculated how the leak could impact the case, though it waged on. Over a year after the shooting in July 2024, the judge ruled in favour of the families and ordered the writings to remain sealed. This was a big victory for the victims’ families, and again could set precedent in similar cases in the future. Just two months later, 90 pages of the journal were leaked by a local conservative outlet.

“Sea of signs at the Nashville walkout” (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) by Carwil

So where does this leave us? Three areas for future research 

Perpetrator gender identity

The current buzz around the revelation of the Madison perpetrator’s gender and the previous events in Nashville, Tennessee, clearly show that the perpetrator’s gender identity impacts the “newsworthiness” of an incident. While it remains the case that the overwhelming majority of mass shootings are committed by cisgender men, there is a growing narrative in right-wing discourse that mass shootings committed by transgender people are on the rise. One can’t help but speculate the motives of those suing for the release of the Nashville Shooter’s journal were in part motivated by the gender identity of the perpetrator and its implications for its contents. Future research must consider the role perpetrator gender identity plays in media coverage not only to avoid complacency with current findings, but also to combat harmful narratives that could further marginalise minorities.

Handling of materials

There is still no consensus on the handling of materials left by mass shooters. When it comes to reporting, campaigns such as No Notoriety and Don’t Name Them have been advocating for the restricted naming of perpetrators to shift the focus away from their actions toward victims and their families. While this call has been echoed within academic circles, it is not without its own challenges.

Considering that many mass shooters have made reference to one another, it has been argued that the writings of mass shooters should remain sealed not only to limit the spread of harmful rhetoric, but also to limit the chances of future violence. However, despite the evidence that suggests otherwise, many hailed the release of the Nashville perpetrator’s journal as a necessary step forward. In any case, communication between authorities and researchers must be increased to allow for the necessary and continued study of mass shootings. Lines of communication in general must be improved as researchers already face substantial data accessibility problems. Continued research is needed on the handling of the materials left by mass shooters, written or otherwise, to inform policy towards a uniform approach.

Disinformation and mass shootings

Almost as soon as authorities disclosed that they suspected a female student in the Madison, Wisconsin, shooting, speculation ran rampant online. The same misidentification trolling that occurred after authorities revealed the Nashville perpetrator as transgender has been making rounds again. While misidentification trolling is not new, the anti-trans focus has become a key feature recently.

The role mis- and disinformation plays in the wider discourse of mass shootings has yet to be substantially studied and should be examined. As said, widespread mis- and disinformation in the wake of a mass shooting is not new. However, it is abundantly clear that certain aspects of a perpetrator’s identity can greatly influence the type of discourse that follows, which may in turn exacerbate the spread of harmful rhetoric. The discourse following the Nashville shooting was fraught with anti-trans undertones, leaving many in the trans and wider queer community fearing backlash.

Speculation is inevitable in the (sometimes short) windows between the early phases of reporting. Yet, social media companies have a responsibility to help curb the spread of disinformation on their platforms. They have long faced pressure over their handling of mass shooting related media, and that pressure must be continually applied to include the handling of disinformation. The goal is not only to help slow the spread of harmful rhetoric, but crucially to help protect victims and their families. As seen by the prolonged and draining lawsuit brought against Alex Jones/Infowars by the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, such disinformation campaigns can have devastating effects on victims and their loved ones.

Though there are already similarities emerging between these two rare cases, the events in Nashville, and evidently Madison too, are but part of a much larger conversation. In many ways, the Nashville case can be seen as a microcosm of the wider culture wars waging throughout the country. Rising anti-LGBTQ rhetoric underscored the discourse surrounding the events in Nashville, and it continues to be echoed nationwide. The dramatic expulsion of the “Tennessee Three” from the Tennessee State Legislature, following their protest against gun violence, served as a stark reminder of the polarised, gridlocked nature of gun reform debates in the wake of an incident. And still, the unrelenting question of what to “do” about our mass shooting problem remains. Reports have emerged of an alleged “manifesto” left by the Madison perpetrator. It appears the debates are set to continue.

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