It has happened again: a mass shooting at what should be a safe place has taken many innocent lives.

In July, it hurt to watch the coverage in my home state of Colorado when a dozen people died and dozens more were injured in the Aurora theater shooting. But it hurt even more to see the coverage of the 27 killed in Newtown, CT; how could this happen? How could somebody kill children like that?

I had originally created this petition after the Aurora theater shooting and have been asked by many people to re-start this petition in the context of the Connecticut school shooting. I have decided to go through with it and once again urge television media to curb its coverage and stop sensationalizing mass murder in media. This type of coverage is harmful; it doesn't give room for the families to heal, and in the big picture, it makes the fame of killing attractive - just like Roger Ebert describes in his NY Times op-ed.

I am petitioning the major television media to stop the constant sensationalized coverage of this tragic event - and stop the glorification of the murder suspect. Sensationalized coverage takes much-needed attention away from how we can help families of the deceased.

Worst of all, sensationalized coverage glorifies this horrendous act and gives motive to other sick individuals who see the reward of heinous acts right on their televisions.

This time, there were also serious errors made in identifying the shooter. The brother of the actual shooter was practically convicted by the news media in a case of mistaken identification; the rush to judgement, swift and without conscience, was inappropriate and unprofessional.

This is not a petition to stop news coverage entirely. It is a petition to ask that news outlets use discretion and report the facts - not over-sensationalize the tragedy.

The glorification of mass killings has been constantly cited as motivation for suspects to commit heinous acts of mass murder. Forensic psychologists, criminologists, journalism scholars, and other experts have warned that excessive media attention reinforces attention-seeking killers in a quest for fame and recognition.

You can stop this. As a consumer of mass media, you can tell the news media to change their ways. While this is by no means a firm end to horrendous mass murders, it helps remove motivation - a spot in history books and our memories  - for those who pursue these violent acts.

Our television news media have the power to strive for the following:

1) Focus on the community and survivors and highlight the actions of the first responders who have served us well and prevented more loss of life. Families of the victims have themselves advocated that the media emphasize recovery and mourning instead of raising the profile of the killer.

2) Discontinue the over-repetition of details that do not inform the public - but instead encourage speculation, morbid curiosity, and implicit approval of violence.

3) Discontinue broadcasting photos of the suspect to remove the power of fame so that suspects no longer gain power from publicity.

4) Practice accurate reporting and reasonable caution before spreading false rumors that hurt credibility and pain families with false hope or gruesome, private details.

5) Limit coverage of the suspect's role - without depriving the story of the facts - in order to report the truth but remove the benefit of crediting the suspect with accomplishing brutal acts of violence.

Even national news figures such as Anderson Cooper pledged to lessen the usage of the Aurora suspect's name back in July. Anderson tweeted this: "We'll tell all we know of suspect, but I'll try not to use his name much. History should remember those who died, not their killer."

Have the media done this with the Newtown shooting? It doesn't appear that way.

This may not be the most profitable choice, but it is the route we must take for integrity of journalism and helping prevent future mass killings.

Please tell the major television news stations to stop the sensational coverage, stop glorifying the suspect, and change journalism coverage of tragic mass killings!

Thank you for your support.

--Jennifer Newell