Why We’re Naming The Minneapolis Shooter

The Daily Wire announced in February 2018 that it would no longer publish the names or photographs of mass shooters. The policy, instituted after the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida, was based on the conviction that the potential news value of identifying mass shooters was outweighed by the risk of giving the shooter notoriety.

It is hard to make that same case regarding the shooting in Minneapolis, in which a young transgender-identifying man opened fire on a Catholic school, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen. 

The shooter’s identity is undeniably a central part of the story. Born Robert Westman, he changed his name as a minor — with his mother’s legal permission — to Robin Westman, telling the approving court that he “identifies as a female.” His journals, which we have reported on at length, reveal that his belief that he was transgender was a driving force in his decision to attack.

His identity also fits a pattern. This week’s shooting came just over two years after another transgender-identifying individual murdered children at a Christian school in Nashville. Transgenderism also played a massive role in that shooting. That shooter’s journal revealed severe mental issues regarding her sex: she believed that being female was a “curse” and said she would “kill” for access to gender transition.

In an effort to hide the role that the shooter’s transgender identity played in that shooting, the government attempted to hide the transgender shooter’s manifesto. It didn’t work. The pattern was so clear, in fact, that Christian school leaders in Minnesota pleaded with Governor Tim Walz to help prevent similar shootings. They were scared that their school would be next, and they were, tragically, correct.

In addition to transgender attacks in Minneapolis and Nashville, a transgender teen was sentenced to life in prison for a deadly school shooting in Colorado, and a self-styled “trans gamer girl” attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 

The Daily Wire is in the business of reliably delivering the facts you need to understand the world we live in. We live in an era of abundant information, and strive to help you sift through what matters. In this case, that meant deviating from a long-held policy designed to avoid handing undue notoriety to the sickest in our society. 

The news value of a shooter’s name and photograph won’t always outweigh valid concerns about giving him or her notoriety. In this case it did. We will continue to use our editorial judgment to make these difficult decisions going forward, and strive to do our best to deliver responsible, accurate, and important news to our readers.