At this stage, the motive of the Madison school shooter seems pretty clear, but the network news seems hesitant to report what it is. Of course, this generally means that the motive is inconvenient to prevailing leftwing narratives or identity politics. This case is not the exception.
Of the three networks, ABC comes closest to exposing the shooter’s motives:
ALEX PEREZ: Investigators now poring over online accounts believed to be Rupnow's that appear to show the suspect gravitating toward neo Nazi ideology, as well as interest and engagement in online forums that idolized mass shooters.
Much of the information regarding motive was readily available and confirmed to be attributable to the shooter within hours after the shooting. ABC is right to report that the shooter had clear neo-Nazi ideations, and her writings confirm her to be a racist. Likewise her admiration for other school shooters both in the United States and overseas.
As our friends at Not the Bee report, radical feminism was the shooter’s main motivation. Not reported by ABC is the fact that the shooter posted several writings across multiple platforms indicating what can be reasonably described as an eliminationist hatred of men.
ABC’s 13-second reporting on motive was brief and incomplete, and was also the best the networks had to offer. Inexplicably, CBS and NBC didn’t even touch motive, despite the neo-Nazi angle being out there.
This shooting is not an easy one to report for the media, inasmuch as there isn’t an easy narrative to run with. The shooting was conducted with a pistol so there isn’t really much of a gun control angle to work with, and the only mystery left is the provenance of the handgun. If the shooter obtained the gun as an illegal gift from a parent, then this will become the angle the media runs with- as was the case in the Michigan and Georgia shootings.
Feminism paired with neo-Nazism and school shooter worship? That’s a no-win angle and furthermore explains why the media are uncomfortable when it comes to reporting on motive in the Madison school shooting.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective evening newscasts on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
12/17/24
6:35 PM
DAVID MUIR: In the meantime, we turn now to the other developing story at this hour, and what authorities are now saying about motive in the deadly school shooting 24 hours ago in Madison, Wisconsin. Tonight here, the image of the suspect. Police say the shooter was a 15-year-old student, Natalie Rupnow, they also call her Samantha, her friends, where authorities are now searching tonight, and ABC's Alex Perez reporting again from Madison.
ALEX PEREZ: Tonight, police trying to find out what drove 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, seen here in a recent Facebook photo, smiling and hugging a dog, to bring a gun to the Abundant Life School Monday morning and kill a teacher and a fellow student.
SHON BARNES: At this time, it appears that the motive was a combination of factors.
PEREZ: Police say Rupnow, who also went by Samantha, shot her victims in a study hall classroom with kids of all grades inside.
NORA GOTTSCHALK: I was in the hallway and I was changing from my shoes to my boots to go to lunch. But then I heard the shooting. And screams.
PEREZ: Second grader Nora Gottschalk reunited with her dad, still barefoot, trying to process what happened.
GOTTSCHALK: We went to the church right next to my school and everyone was panicking still. Because the -- a lot of police were there.
PEREZ: Investigators now poring over online accounts believed to be Rupnow's that appear to show the suspect gravitating toward neo Nazi ideology, as well as interest and engagement in online forums that idolized mass shooters. In the minutes before the shootings, multiple posts to X, formerly Twitter, from an account believed to be Rupnow's, one at 10:45, showing a hand making the "OK" symbol, a gesture flashed by past white supremacist mass shooters. And another, at 10:50, linking to a locked Google drive that may contain writings by the suspect.
BARNES: We are working to authenticate the documents that you see online that some are referring to as a manifesto, and as soon as we do that, we'll let you know.
PEREZ: And David, investigators have collected evidence from the shooter's home and say her family is cooperating. They're still trying to figure out how she got that handgun. A vigil for the victims will be held later tonight. David?
MUIR: The country thinking about that community tonight. Alex, thank you.
CBS EVENING NEWS
12/17/24
6:37 PM
NORAH O’DONNELL: The police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, says identifying a motive is a top priority following yesterday's deadly shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin. Two students are in critical condition tonight. Another student and a teacher were killed before police say the 15-year-old female shooter took her own life. CBS's Charlie De Mar is on the ground speaking to parents about the terrifying moments.
SHON BARNES: The past 24 hours have been a flurry of emotion, sadness, anger, disappointment, grief.
CHARLIE DE MAR: Madison police provided few details but now say a combination of factors may have led 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow to kill a classmate, a teacher, and wound six others before taking her own life.
BARNES: There are always signs of a school shooting before it occurred. We are looking into her online activity, anyone who may have known her or knew what she was feeling or going through at that time.
DE MAR: Investigators are making a public appeal for information after searching the shooter's home. They're also analyzing social media posts. CBS News has learned that the ATF has traced the weapon, but it’s still not clear how Rupnow obtained the gun. Outside the Abundant Life Christian School, there's a growing memorial where we met a group of bus drivers. For Megan Mojica, Monday's shooting brought back memories of the attack five years ago at a high school in nearby Waukesha, where her son attended.
MEGAN MOJICA: He was a victim of that shooting. He had the gun pointed at his face, so when I was seeing everything go on here it brought me right back to that day.
DE MAR: Her son survived that shooting. Today, families in Madison are taking stock. Reverend Kellen Lewis.
KELLEN LEWIS: Not knowing if my kids are alive or not. I just prayed.
DE MAR: He has four children attending the school, and last night...
LEWIS: Hugging them a little bit extra tight, giving them a kiss, letting them know I love them. And- you know, it's tough, it makes you appreciate your kids, but man, my heart goes out to those that- they don't have their kids to hug anymore.
DE MAR: Police now say that initial call to 911 came from a second grade teacher, and not a student. While there are no school resource officers or metal detectors at the school, we are told that there are cameras throughout and parents, who we have had the opportunity to speak with, they say they feel both safe and confident sending their kids back to school, Norah.
O’DONNELL: Praying for those victims. All right, Charlie De Mar, thank you.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
12/17/24
6:35 PM
LESTER HOLT: In Madison, Wisconsin, new details tonight on the deadly Christian school shooting and what might have motivated a 15-year-old to shoot people at the school. Shaquille Brewster is there.
SHAQUILLE BREWSTER: Tonight, police are learning more about the 15-year-old female student who they say killed a teacher and classmate before turning a gun on herself in Madison, Wisconsin.
SHON BARNES: At this time, it appears that the motive was a combination of factors.
BREWSTER: Police identifying the shooter as Natalie Rupnow, saying she went by the name Samantha.
BARNES: We're talking to students to understand whether bullying was one of those multiple factors that I mentioned earlier.
BREWSTER: Police clarifying the initial 911 call was made by a second grade teacher. Two students are still battling life-threatening injuries. Law enforcement spending the night sifting through the home of the shooter’s parents.
BARNES: Everyone was targeted in this incident. And everyone was put in equal danger.
BREWSTER: Investigators looking into how the 15-year-old accessed the handgun used in Monday's shooting, spending hours interviewing her father and looking into her social media footprint, with detectives scrambling to verify a document circulating online reported to be from the shooter.
BARNES: The process for doing that is looking at original documents that may have been taken from the suspect's home. Looking at information that may be on laptops.
BREWSTER: The community left reeling.
REBECCA SMITH: We know a lot of the people involved.
BREWSTER: James and Rebecca Smith waited six hours to be reunited with their 11th grade daughter, whose classroom was down the hall from the shooting.
JAMES SMITH: She didn't say much. But- she’s not a hugger, and she allowed me to hug her at the reunification.
BREWSTER: Parents now left to wonder how to make their children feel safe again.
REBECCA SMITH: You talk about having metal detectors and being frisked coming into school. Do we want our kids to think they're at a security checkpoint at an airport coming to school every day? That's a hard one to answer.
BREWSTER: And multiple vigils are scheduled across Madison tonight, but as the community tries to grieve, police say numerous schools across the area were targeted by false threats. Lester.
HOLT: All right, Shaquille Brewster. Thank you.
