Virginia Tech Response

I first heard about the Virginia Tech massacre from my sister—in passing, she said a lot of students died in a shooting, but she didn’t know details. I was in a hurry and remember thinking, “wow, that’s sad,” and then rushing to class. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t feel much of anything.

When the extent of the shooting came to light, I tried to ignore and deny my initial apathy, but I couldn’t shake the memory of my reaction. I’ve heard people talk about how the media only show “bad” news, so people grow immune, but I never considered myself in that boat. I guess I was wrong.

My disconnect from the media makes me sad. I’m entering the field of journalism, yet I cannot honestly say the broadcast coverage of the United State’s deadliest mass shooting has made me feel much. The profiles of the victims delivered with the same news package vibe as every other story felt stale. News stations covered every angle of the event—fear, anger, blame—but it just didn’t reach me.

On April 16,2007, Thirty-two people died. One potentially mental ill student, Seung-Hui Cho, stormed West Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall, went on a shooting spree, and ended it by killing himself.

This event became real when I could personalize it and bring it

One aspect of the broadcast coverage that struck a chord was the release of Cho’s manifesto package sent to NBC. People criticized the network for airing the photos and videos, but I think that information was vital. It opened the door to Cho’s skewed world as no profile or background information could. Maybe I’ve seen too many movies, but those clips broke something in me. The killer did exist, and he did go on a rampage he felt Virginia Tech students deserved.

The most crucial medium during breaking news like this is the Internet. It’s up to the second updates can be accessed during class, at work, or on a cell phone. In the middle of the day, most people cannot watch TV, so the Internet remains the easiest, fastest medium to find information.

The in-depth updates are perhaps even more important than initial reports. Broadcast shows must come to an end, but the Internet has all the time and space it needs. For example, on a blog, one student posted graphic plays Cho had written. Within hours, people not only heard a peer’s insight into Cho, but they could see a document that proved his critique. The plays made Cho real in a way that student’s opinions couldn’t do on their own.

The Internet also provides multimedia, interactive packages that make the event real. The New York Times’ "The Rampage at Virginia Tech” hit home the most for me. No other coverage forced me to put myself in the victims’ shoes like this package.

It takes users through a series of slides that tell the story. When I got to the individual classrooms and saw circles where victims and survivors struggled during the shooting, I was stunned. Actually picturing the classrooms with blurbs about how individuals responded was chilling. It was then my heart broke for the dead. The teachers that died while barricading the doors and students who happened to be sitting in the front row—this tragic event happened, and I finally realized what it was like.

Kristof Packages

This week has been crazy. I’ve gone nonstop (finishing a cookbook, writing a Spanish paper, tests, meetings…I could go on and on and on). I need sleep, and I won’t lie—I’ve had a few pity parties along the way.

Imagine my surprise when, sitting down to do this assignment, I find rejuvenation instead of a tedious check off my list. My boost in the arm came from Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times. He spoke for the Human Trafficking symposium sponsored by SMU's Human Rights Education program Tuesday.

Kristof focuses his Op-Ed columns on human rights issues around the world. He’s won two Pulitzer prizes, his most recent in 2006 for commentary, with attention to his coverage of the genocide in Darfur.

Kristof grew up on a farm in Oregon. He graduated from Harvard College and studied law in Oxford. He started coving economics for The New York Times in 1984 and has been a columnist since 2001. Kristof has traveled to 120 countries and has focused his attention on Darfur.

According to the SMU Daily Campus coverage of his lecture, Kristof blames the media for apathy about Darfur. I have to agree, but with a twist. It’s the business of the media that stunts public interest. Parent companies think Americans want celeb gossip and glossed over world events, so that’s what Americans get. Maybe people do want that, but journalists should give information people don’t always want. Unfortunately that seems to be a dying reality.

However, a glance at Kristof’s columns assures that all is not lost for journalism. His multimedia packages push the field towards the future. They’re subtly electrifying. They inspire people to become involved in world issues without shoving it down their throats. I know they gave me a much needed reality check. Sex slaves, AIDS, village slaughtering—his packages quickly pop my college bubble.

His package, ”China: a Maturing Power,” highlights this hopeful turn for the media. It reviews China’s growing world presence, examining political, social, and economic changes. Using the Internet forces the user to be involved. He has a map of China with points connected to his different stories in the series. People can learn what interests them at their own pace.

Perhaps the most powerful element of the package is his use of photographs. When dealing with human rights, adding real faces makes impossible to imagine situations real. You hear and see people, but you have to pursue it, unlike TV.

Even so, I still doubt powerful packages like Kristof’s will become mainstream. The Internet is the future, but Big Business will find a way to tell you what to consume, even on the Web. I hope I’m wrong because I wish everyone could have the reality check Kristof’s packages gave me.