Unfortunately...if it bleeds, it leads...
"The obvious starting point -- and one that media analysts say weighs heavily on the minds of editors in all tragedies, not just school shootings -- tends to be the number of victims. Look at the math in the three recent college cases: Virginia Tech (33 dead, dozens injured). Northern Illinois (6 dead, 16 others injured). Louisiana Technical College (3 dead, no injuries)."
Campus shootings are probably one of the hardest things to cover for reporters. While they have to acknowledge that "if it bleeds, it leads," they still have to be sensitive to the victims and their friends and families. The problem with a campus shooting is that, even if there is not a large amount of casualties, many people will be affected regardless. That's just how it goes.
It's like the ultimate catch 22. We have to run the story, because it would almost be insulting to ignore it. But, at the same time, we have to walk on thin ice the entire time, because the last thing anyone wants to do is make anyone feel any worse than they already do. I really hate that the amount of coverage depends on how many victims there are. I don't think that's fair. A life is a life--it shouldn't matter how many lives are taken away. None are any more significant than the next. I know that journalists are always looking for the story to end all stories, but sometimes it's nice when they actually take their audience's opinions into account. This is one instance in which detail is very important. But, at the same time, they need to be careful about what they include in an article, because their worst mistake would obviously be being too graphic. Sure it might be nice to use vivid sensory details, but sometimes these just aren't a good idea.
On a side note, any death is tough to cover in a paper, especially in a scholarly publication. While I was in high school, my school lost at least one student per year. During my junior year of high school, a boy committed suicide, and our publication had to determine whether it would be wise or not to include a story. We ended up running a story, which included multiple quotes from not only the deceased's teenage sister, but also from his parents.In my opinion, this was a huge risk, because involving the victims in the story is almost pushing a little too hard. Although it is important to get the correct story, it never hurts to be considerate of your interview recipient.
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