So when I woke up to the wind-ridden stretching of my window screen this morning and found out classes were cancelled, I turned on the television at 10 a.m. to MSNBC to receive the tragic news of the Virginia Tech school shootings. I felt compelled to watch the coverage all day on the tube and Internet, and blog right after the print got to their deadlines.
This is monumental news, marking this event the deadliest school shooting (college, high school or elementary) in U.S. history. This is also the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, according to MSNBC.
At this point by 6 18 p.m. today the death toll is 33 on MSNBC. They report the shootings took place at two different locations on campus set about 2 hours apart from each other starting during the early morning commute.
By 1:30 p.m. the report came in about the death toll reaching 21, and 21 wounded. Before 3:00 p.m. the death toll came up to 31.
MSNBC also reported by 6:18 p.m. that the shooter had shot himself, in the head, closing that question.
According to the Washington Post article by 6 p.m., law enforcement authorities, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the shooter used two 9mm pistols.
The shootings, which included both students and staff members, took place at West Ambler Johnston, a dormitory, and Norris Hall, which houses the College of Engineering, at opposite ends of the sprawling campus. Authorities said the first shooting was reported shortly after 7 a.m. at the dorm and the second about two hours later at Norris Hall. (Post)
The television programs (Headline News, CNN, MSNBC) were round the clock at keeping information relative. Although, the reporting you watched went right back to crisis mode competition to get the facts straight. The Internet reports by staff writers were more aesthetic and accurate after hitting refresh constantly.
It is interesting to see how each online article, which is constantly being updated and followed up on hour-by-hour, is presented in writing.
The television reports give you more of the bare bones and visual appeal of the coverage. However, it is more evident among the words, the style at which each writer writes.
The Post’s writer started the lead with the death toll number, followed with paragraphs on the shooter’s brief information, and then a couple paragraphs in detail about the locations of the shootings and a witness’ account. More information followed, such as the history of school shootings in America, such as this being eight days before the April 20, 1999 Columbine massacre. Also, facts that the governor of Virginia decided to leave his business trip in Japan today to come back to the Commonwealth.
The MSNBC report began with a similar lead about the death toll and the “5 Ws”. However, their following paragraphs went into depth about the victims, Columbine and fact that students in the dorms did not receive first warning emails until the gunman had struck a second time.
This makes me so scared about how this could happen at any college, leaving us so vulnerable to being taken out by some psychotic, depressed lunatic.
According to the New York Times article by 6:40 p.m. tonight, they reported in their lead about the death toll as being 32, not 33.
I want to write more, but I feel this topic is going to be talked about very soon. I need this to be posted.
Our reliability on the news, such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and this event (probably the biggest of 2007 thus far), continues to be marginalized and more wide spread. Picking your outlet, and who you believe, is the only strategy on this one.
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And by biggest events thus far in 2007, I want to mean national events.
Saddam Hussein's death, the 4th anniversarie of Iraq, the constant struggle for agreement between the Democrats and Republicans on foreign and domestic issues, the early campaigning, the tsunami in the Solomon islands, Climate Change panal discussions, Darfur and African, Iran and North Korea dealings with the UN....
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