Professional discussion of coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings

Did this kid kill himself? Anyone have details about that?

 

I haven't heard how the shooter died.

 

I could have swore I saw a flash in an upper floor window, right by a tree.

 

Willie's post raises a point I will probably fail miserably trying to make, but here it goes.

How long will it be before CNN, MSNBC, Fox, etc. find a "hero" and beat us to death with his or her story?

I'm not trying to make light of the situation but trying to point out the shallowness of TV coverage of events like this. Every tragedy HAS to have a hero. It just HAS to as far as cable news is concerned.

That bothers me for some reason. It's not CNN, MSNBC, Fox, etc's job to make us feel good in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Report the story.

 

Washington Post will have a live Q&A at 3 p.m. local time.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

 

Can there be many As to all the Qs at this point?

 

They've probably got their heros in the kids who held the door shut while the killer was shooting at it trying to get back in.

 

Probably not. The WaPost seems to be a little quick on the trigger with this.

 

Probably. And I'm not saying these kids aren't heroes. They are. My point is the way stories like this get covered. Victim. Killer. Hero. All wrapped up in nice neat packages.

 

How do these kids get hooked up with CNN, MSNBC and FOX for phone interviews?

 

What I always fiind interestng in cases like this are those kids, or even ordinary people like on Flight 93, who become "heroes" It gives me faith in humankind that people are willing to risk their own lives to save others. I don't know if I could do it, but it gives me hope.