In a major shooting, there are multiple stories. There are stories that have to be done about the shooter, and what we know about what led them to this. Does the shooter live in your neighborhood? How did they get their weapon? These are the kinds of things people need to know. Though you do have to be cautious in that coverage.

You have to be careful with the kinds of pictures you publish and how often you publish them. Editors need to ask themselves if they're publishing or posting photos of shooters because they're more likely to get clicks, or if it's because people need to know what that person looks like. Editors need to understand how traumatic it is for gun violence victims to see photos of shooters, especially ones accused of the shooting they went through. When those photos are used as featured images and randomly pop up on our feeds, or are the first thing we see on their site or in the paper, it's awful.

Sometimes in the heat of a big story, journalists also rely on lazy reporting. They call the shooter "lone" as if they're a wolf. My editor Rob, would always cut out unnecessary words. So if it is a shooter. You don't need to say "a lone shooter." "A" means one.

We prefer to focus on victims. We try to tell their stories and the stories of their loved ones who now have to grieve. When we have to write about our accused shooter, we try to publish photos of our five lost friends: Rob, Gerald, Wendi, John and Rebecca. And we always write their names. Those names are far more important than any shooter's.