Keller @ Large: No Names Here

BOSTON (CBS) - A listener writes of the Orlando mass murderer:

"Stop giving these people instant, world-wide recognition for these horrendous acts! Educate and inform the public, yes. But STOP making folk-heroes out of bad guys. No more pictures, histories, motives, that just…inspire[s] others to do more."

The great Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe draws a straight line in his column from this terrorist to the Boston Marathon bombers, noting their shared status as "murderous, disaffected losers… with the preening selfies and overweening sense of grievance."

And an online commentator notes: "Of course terrorists will identify with the Marathon bombers. Their actions drew out an army of law enforcement, shut down Greater Boston, created hysteria, and locked thousands in their homes…. We created legends and now we have to live with it."

So, are we in the media inadvertently encouraging this kind of horror by giving the narcissistic sociopaths who commit it the publicity they crave?

An academic study last year suggests it might.

The researchers found 30-percent of mass killings "appeared to have been inspired by a past mass killing." For school shootings, it was 22 percent.

That's scary.

But is it really surprising?

A bad actor needs a stage, and the spotlight.

And a very angry, violent bad actor may not find selfies and YouTube videos a broad enough platform.

You may have noticed, no names here.

You can get that detail anywhere.

You don't need me to mention their names, and I definitely don't want to.

Listen to Jon's commentary: