Introduction
Virginia tech shooting was an incident that occurred in the year 2007 in which a number of students were shot dead within the premises of the institution.
This paper seeks to establish the fact that “the media coverage of the event was considerably commendable since they dissented to the scene immediately and exposed to the world the incident. The criticism by the media was also instrumental in addressing future disasters”. The paper will look into the events of the shooting, its impacts and the role that the media played in covering the story.
Virginia Tech Shooting: overview
The Virginia shooting was realized in the year 2007 in the state of Virginia in the United States. It took place in Virginia College with a gun man attacking students at two different locations within the college premise claiming more that thirty lives on April sixteenth, 2007. As described by the local authorities at the time, this was considered to be the worst gunfire attack that was ever realized in the American history.
The gunman is reported to have first attacked two of his victims in one of the institution’s dormitories before later launching a mass attack on a number of students in one of the classrooms. The students who were caught unaware of any chances of the attacks were helpless and left their lives at the mercies of the attacker.
While some of the victims risked and jumped out of their classroom in the second attack, the others were arraigned and shot together in the classroom. The first attack incident having been realized slightly after seven in the morning was followed by the murder of thirty one more victims before the gunman took his own life (Hauser and O’Connor 1).
Historical significance of the shooting incident
The shootings in the Virginia College were significantly felt beyond the boundaries of the school. The first category of people who were affected by the incident was the families of the students who lost their lives as they were forced to face a life without them. Beyond the loss of individual family members was the horror that struck the nation since it was not a common phenomenon.
Existence of violence in American cities and streets or even in colleges among students had not realized such brutality of arsenal attack on students. Though almost similar attacks had been realized in the nation, the magnitude had been the largest.
The first attack in a school compound having been realized in the year 1966 in Texas for instance claimed sixteen lives after a person climbed a structure before opening fire on people bellow him. In the year 1999, some two students in high school attacked and killed their eleven colleagues and one of their teachers before shooting themselves.
The extent to which the particular Virginia shooting was felt by the nation as a whole was at the same time reflected by the step that the then president, Bush, took to express his concern as well as his condolences to the survivors and relatives of victims of the attacks.
The fact that the incident attracted communication from the white house was an indication of its significance as a national issue. It was thus marked as a significant occurrence in the American history (Hauser and O’Connor 1).
The Virginia Tech shooting is also significant in the American history not only on the ground that it happened in an academic institution rather being in the streets where violence is normally anticipated, but it was recorded to have been the “deadliest mass shooting in the united states history” (MSNBC, 1). According to the Manbc news agency, the magnitude of the attack was not familiar news to Americans.
With more than thirty people being killed on the spot and at least fifteen more being injured to hospitalization, the incident thrilled blood in the lives of many who would live to commemorate the incident. The incident is also realized to have happened just a few days before another similar attack was to be commemorated. Eight years earlier, Columbine high school had been a victim of the same fate in which twelve lives were lost.
The Virginia incident thus coincided with the Columbine sorrowful memory. The coincidence with respect to time would thus increase the way in which the incident would be felt. The significance of the incidence in the nation was also felt with respect to the response of the school’s authorities that was accused of having been slow to communicate the danger that had been realized following the first shooting.
With opinions that a faster communication and adoption of security measures would have helped to save lives of the more than thirty students that were later to die in the second shooting, responsibility was identified on the institution which was believed by many to have had the capacity to the control of the incident.
Students were particularly dissatisfied with the delayed information release that they largely believed could have spared the lives of their colleagues. The incident was thus an indication of the loopholes that existed in the institution or even in institutions in general with respect to disasters management (MSNBC 1).
The historical significance of the shooting incidence was also realized through the reactions that it elicited into changes in security measures in academic institutions. Various college institutions across the United States were for example realized to have been affected by the incident. This again gave the Virginia Tech the aspect of being a historic event in the United States.
If it were just another event even like the closure of an institution, its significance would have not been transferred to other colleges and universities. On the contrary, institutions with particular examples of Texas A & M put on hold their academic schedules to allow their students to grieve over their lost colleagues.
Apart from the disrupted schedule that indicated the extent to which the Virginia killing was felt, security measures were to be spearheaded in academic institutions in order to help in curtailing any such incidents in future. The Texas A & M’s administration for instance registered their immediate plans to improve their alert systems in terms of security measures.
This measure was at the same time felt all over the United States with stake holders in security matters being called in to identify strategies through which security would be hiked up to avoid such cases in future (Ralston 1). Steps were called for from beyond academic boundaries with parties such as “system heads, legislatures and governors” joining their voices into actions due to the Virginia incident.
These concerns led to actions that were taken across the nation in regions such as “California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico” (MHEC 11). The incident thus marked a significant history in the United States following the emotions that it drew as well as the attention that it was offered by various parties. All this was realized due to the media (MHEC 11).
Media Coverage of the Incident
The manner in which the media covered the incident also significantly contributed to its historical significance. This is due to the immediate response that the media attained after the incident was realized. The coverage of the event was undertaken by media from all round the world whereby live coverage was aired by the different media houses at the place of the incident.
It has been noted that both new and the traditional media were significantly used in covering the event. The covering was so swift that the event was being covered before it was even over. Facebook and blogs were used in covering this event (Media Coverage 1).
The earliest information about the event was spread out through the use of mobile phones. It is believed that several calls were made mentioning the event. Another good example of how mobile phones were used is that of the live video coverage using a cell phone which belonged to Jamal Albarghouti. The video covered was posted in CNN’s website and gained huge attention in a short while.
Virginia Tech newspaper is said to have started posting blogs at around 9.47 am on the event. It is also reported that calls were not going through and therefore the students resorted to sending text messages to update their friends. Facebook is also said to have been heavily in covering the event.
Photos were posted to flickr and facebook showing what was happening especially in reference to the way students were trying to take cover from the assault (Media Coverage 1).
American domestic media groups such as the New York Times published about the phenomenon just minutes after its realization. The media also presented detailed information to the public over the incident, including presentation of photos of the scene and the victims of the shooting.
In this way, together with a recollection of previous incidents of school shootings, the media was able to establish to the society the fact that calls should be made for better security measures in learning institutions. The media both in the United States and globally were fast and keen to register the happenings that terrified Virginia college.
Its effect was thus felt by many people following its immediate and comprehensive coverage that portrayed the incident as the worst in the history of the United States. The New York Times was for instance quick to almost immediately report the occurrence just few hours after the attacks.
In it headlines of “Virginia Tech shooting leaves 33 dead”, the media group provided information to the general public of the facts that was already acquired by security personnel over the incident. The article offered a comprehensive review of the events that were realized in the incident. It thus played the important role of informing the general public, some of whom could be having their relatives in Virginia Tech.
Being a widely accessed paper that is even available in electronic formats such as in the internet, the New York Times in particular played the crucial role of availing immediate information over incident (Hauser Christine and O’Connor Anahad, 2007, 1, 2). New York time has since then not completely ceased to publish information over the incident (NYT 1).
The Washington post was similarly responsible for coverage of news over the shooting. On the same day, April seventeenth, 2007, the media group aired the incident and gave it much weight by identifying it as the “deadliest shooting in U.S. history” (Shapira and Jackman 1). Like New York magazine, the Washington post was comprehensive to detail the suspected victim and the manner in which the shootings were done.
The paper was at the same time keen to identify reactions that were realized from different sources such as the political leaders who included the then president, Bush and members of the congress as well as other political leaders. The article review as was published by the Washington at the same time corresponded to the information that was released by other journalist from New York Times.
This indicated a great deal in the similarity of the information that the media portrays to the public. The similarity in facts and details reveals a level of dependence of the media groups on a single trusted source that communicates the essence of reliability of information as released by the media (Shapira and Jackman 1).
The information about the Virginia shooting was similarly reflected in the news as presented by international media such as the British Broadcasting Corporation and Aljazeera. The BBC for example correspondingly reported the killings a day later with provision of approximately the same information that the media in the United States were offering.
Though some contradictory information such as the BBC reporting that the suspect was found with his identification card while the media in the United States reported the contrary, the British media still managed to air the exact basics of the incidence giving it even a global significance into history (BBC, 1). Aljazeera news agency also captured the events of the shooting to its global viewers.
It was also realized with some level of varying information from that which was published in New York and Washington. It for instance understated the number of the students who were killed to be twenty two instead of the thirty three that was realized in the New York Times, Washington post and even the BBC.
It however highlighted similar instance a year before when the Virginia Tech had to be closed due to gun shooting even though at this time it was not from a student aimed at other students. The earlier gunning incident could have however driven the institution to be more alert over such attacks (Aljazeera 1).
A review of the media coverage of the incident in general also revealed the active role that the media plays in disseminating information. Photos as well as videos that media houses received over the incident were for example available and used in news presentation by various print and other media such as television stations (Ewald and Fellow 1).
Though the media is appreciated for providing information to its audience, the presentation of the Virginia shooting incident enlisted criticisms towards the media with calls for more responsibility that goes beyond presentation of news.
Instances such as the use of victims’ photos and videos were for example viewed by some people as being inconsiderate and calls were made for the media to participate in crisis resolution besides news presentations (Garfunkel 1).
Some ethical issues were brought up with the way media houses covered the event. The first ethical issue that came to light was that of giving false identification of the shooter. Michael Sneed covering the event on behalf of the Chicago Sun Times identified the shooter as a Chinese citizen.
This false revelation soon was taken up by various media house and for 12 hours negative information was posted discrediting the Chinese as a whole. It is also quite unethical that the Chicago times have since then altered this information (Fallows 1).
Another ethical issue which the coverage brought to light was the excess covering of the event which was described as ‘media frenzy’ (Marotta 1). The covering of the event was so heavy that in the second week of the covering it became intolerable and students resorted to oppose the media coverage. Anti-media signs were placed strategically around the campus and speeches given requesting the media to stop crowding the campus.
Conclusion
The Virginia Tech shooting was an incident in which a student attacked his colleagues and murdered more that thirty of them using hand guns. The student had a record of emotional instability that had over time affected him and which was even significantly realized in the college.
The killings were realized to be significant in the history of the United States because it was an outstanding crime whose extent had never been realized in the nation. It for this significance attracted the concerns of various leaders including the then president and led to measures to develop security efficiencies in institutions.
The media coverage of the shooting was sufficient with domestic media giving it sufficient attention and the international media also being part. The Virginia shooting was therefore an occurrence to be remembered in the history of the United States.
Works Cited
Aljazeera. “22 killed in US university shooting”. Aljazeera, 2007. Web.
BBC. “US university shooting kills 33”. BBC, 2007. Web.
Ewald, Ashyley and Fellow, Silha. “Media coverage of Virginia tech shooting sparks controversy and scrutiny”. College of liberal arts, 2009. Web.
Fallows, James. Virginia Tech Shooting. The Atlantic, 2011. Web.
Garfunkel, John. “Can media get beyond reactive response to tragedy?” Mediashift, 2007. Web.
Hauser, Christine and O’Connor, Anahad. “Virginia tech shooting leaves 33 dead”. New York times, 2007. Web.
Marotta, Daniel. Media Backlash at Virginia Tech. abc News, 2007. Web.
Media Coverage. Media Coverage. Memory 39, 2008. Web.
MHEC. “The ripple effect of Virginia Tech”. MHEC, 2008. Web.
MSNBC. “Worst U.S. shooting ever kills 33 on Va. Campus”. NBC News, 2007. Web.
NYT. “Virginia polytechnic institute and state university”. New York Times, 2011. Web.
Ralston, Katy. “Virginia tech shooting: A&M adopts emergency plans, launches code Maroon system”. The battalion online, 2011. Web.
Shapira, Ian and Jackman, Tom. “Gunman kills 32 at Virginia Tech in deadliest attach in U.S. history”. Washington post, 2007. Web.