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.