Taking A Couple Steps Back

Since the Virginia Tech there has been much controversy; whether the school was to blame for the 2 hour gap between shootings, NBC for showing the video tape of the gunman or the media and entertainment forced the gunman to violence. There are many more arguments that can be brought up with this subject but one thing holds true; people have passed away, their lives were stolen from them in the most selfish fashion. The shootings at Virginia Tech have touched the world, and now I have come to an article that has taken me back a couple steps. The New York Times had all 29 victims pictured, with short and memorable passages beneath the photos.

This is the first good thing I have seen the media do since the shootings at VT. I did not know any of the victims’ names before I viewed this article. After looking at the pictures and reading the passages from loved ones, it made me stop and really think what it would be like to be affected by a horrific act. First and foremost the people affected by this tragedy should be given the proper time to be able to grieve and find a sense of closure, which will be extremely heart wrenching if not possible to do, before the media goes off on rants about who is to blame. To be honest, I was caught up in the “media frenzy” when I first heard the news of the situation. I could not believe that the school didn’t take proper precautions after the first shooting. But, that’s a different story.

The media should be doing more to extend the personal side of this tragic event. Anyone can point fingers, but to take the time and really assess the personal lose of loved ones is the best thing that can be done at this time. The NY Times impressed me with this article, and I think more has to be said about the people who were lost, and not who and what factors caused them there lives. They were all innocent, sitting in class, and probably didn’t even know the gunman personally; but their lives were stolen from them. The victims need to be remembered and the media is the best portal for it to happen.