Urg

[jesso]

Okay, so the Virginia Tech shootings.

I agree that they are completely horrible, that it is very sad that people are dead and dying, and it's very tragic. I really really hope that none of you know anyone at that school, because I can't imagine not knowing if a loved one is okay or not in a situation like this.

BUT. Listening to my coworker's radio and poking at the videos on cnn and such, I'm kind of bothered by a few things.
1) Yes, this is the largest shoot shooting ever, in terms of the number of dead. But do all the news people need to keep pointing that out? Do they have to use words like "massacre" and "bloodbath" and "mayhem"? Does this situation really need anymore drama? Is it not terrible enough on its own?
2) Interviewing a student still on the campus immediately after everything happened, a reporter asked how the student felt about the possibility that he might know one of the victims. Um, duh? What kind of ridiculously insensitive question is that? Did she expect him to answer "Man, I feel GREAT about everything, life is ROSES!" Did she really need to remind him of the possibility that one of his friends might be dead, just to get more drama?
3) So the president wanted to make a statement, of course. Okay, sympathy is good. So he scheduled it for 4pm, 7 hours after the fact. Now, call me cynical, but I bet he used that 7 hours to have someone script the perfectly sympathetic speech, instead of, I dunno, actually being sympathetic. This point is probably one that only bothers me, though, because fake sympathy is worse than none in my book.

Moral of the story: news people are full of stupid. I would say stupid AND drama, but we all know that they are the same thing.

Comments

[rimwalker.livejournal.com]

I agree with this post.

Sometimes, no most times, the media goes out of its way to make things MORE horrible or are incredibly insensitive for the sake of sensatialism.

I hate the way I sometimes get the feeling that news outlets get happy and excited when something horrible happens because it means they have something new with which to hook viewers/readers. "Another mass killing! Woo-hoo! Start composing dramatic animations and composing theme music for our reports!"

[syntheticjesso.livejournal.com]

Oh, you know that secretly, they do get excited. Especially the Big Head Honcho Guys (or Gals), who get the profits form the advertising, and the Reporters Trying To Make A Name For Themselves.

[http://users.livejournal.com/smeg_/]

I would like to add a number four to your list: why does everybody get all excited about these things? I might never have heard about it as I don't really watch TV or listen to radio - but of course I did hear all about it because everyone at work was talking about it, looking it up online under the bold and blood-red heading of "CAMPUS MASSACRE" and whatever else. Why are so many people so clearly fascinated by awful events? I've come to expect this response from the media, but what disgusts me is that people really do suck it up.

[art-freak.livejournal.com]

If it happened in a third world country, it wouldn't be big news...yet it's just as tragic. (Oh wait, it does happen in other countries everyday!)

[syntheticjesso.livejournal.com]

The media does it because it appeals to that part of humanity that just has to look at the car wreck as they pass it on the highway. I don't know what it is, but people in general seem drawn towards tragedies. Maybe it's a "at least it's not me" thing, or a "oh no this could happen to me" thing, or just a "well you don't see that everyday" thing. Also curiousity, like "oh my, this is terrible, how did it come about?" I think it's a fairly natural thing, but then the media takes it and runs with it and blows it waaaaaaaaay up, trying to get viewers to watch station X over station Y.

That's my uneducated guess, anyhow.

[wildcat-daisy.livejournal.com]

2 reminds me of this sesame street sketch where kermit interviewed the three little pigs after their houses were blown down, and he's like "How do you feel?" (that typical news question) and they blow up on him and they're like "HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL!?!"

Yeah...news reporters will ask that question so often, and it's so stupid.

[niobedancing.livejournal.com]

Just read some of the comments about the "why do people watch it/read about it" thing. I'm going to stick my neck out and say something that I hope won't sound too trite or smarmy.

When I first hear about something like this happening, it makes me really sad because it's a tragedy and I'm empathetic. It's easy for me to imagine to pain of the victims/family members/etc. I don't know how exactly to describe it, but it seems like the people who had such a horrible thing happen to them, they deserve to have people thinking about them, feeling bad for them, etc. I feel like if I read the stories and really get an understanding of what happened, that's somehow ... I don't know... honoring them or something.

I know there's an element of "I need to know the details so I know how to avoid or prevent this", and also just plain morbid curiosity, but the other thing also applies. I don't just read the stories for enterntainment, I really get into thinking about them and sending my - prayers? mental energy? whatever.

[syntheticjesso.livejournal.com]

I can agree with that. I can kind of relate, although my empathy usually leaves me not wanting to read about it, because after a while it just is too much.

My problem is not that people want to know about it, but that the media exploits that and sensationalizes it so extremely. They don't really need to make it any more tragic than it is. They don't need to say "CAMPUS BLOODBATH" when they could just as easily say "Campus Shooting", yanno?

[niobedancing.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm with you on that. I do get annoyed by the media using the same "sensational" phrases over and over.

[masterhibb.livejournal.com]

Journalists are every bit as much scum as politicians and lawyers. Just as in the other two professions, even the few who get into the business for some idealistic purpose often wind up pursuing their goals by ultimately taking from or harming others.

Just as no honest politician will hold office, and no honest lawyer will win many cases, you'll never see an honest reporter on television.

[syntheticjesso.livejournal.com]

It is so sad that such a cynical thing is true.