ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump from
Turning an Execution into Programming
National Campaign for Justice
(October 10, 2026) — The Trump administration wants the public to watch soldiers execute a man by firing squad. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pushing to broadcast the killing of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, and the Pentagon has confirmed plans to livestream it.
ACTION:
Hegseth claims that making people watch will demonstrate the consequences of these crimes. But research shows that many mass shooters are suicidal and plan to die during their attacks.[2] The threat of death has no impact when dying for their crime is already part of an attacker’s plan.
A worldwide broadcast also risks offering the notoriety some attackers crave.
Research shows that giving a mass murderer a final, globally televised moment often feeds the fantasies of others seeking attention through horrific violence.[3] Media companies must take that danger seriously.
The people murdered at Fort Hood, the survivors, and their families deserve dignity. Turning the perpetrator’s death into a mass viewing event would put him back at the center of public attention while his victims’ lives and the devastation he caused recede behind the footage.
Executives must publicly commit to rejecting this broadcast, including livestreams and recorded footage of the killing. Our pressure can help deny the administration a much larger audience and establish that media companies will refuse to participate when government officials want to glorify the death of a killer.
ACTION: Demand that networks, cable channels, and streaming services refuse to air this execution. Sign and send your message now.
Sources
[1] The UN human rights office has warned that a livestreamed public execution would breach the prohibition against torture
[2] More evidence that mass shootings are suicidal acts
[3] For many mass shooters, armed guards aren’t a deterrent, they’re part of the fantasy
