Jared Soares, The Roanoke Times
Yesterday afternoon brought a mass migration to Blacksburg, Virginia, as every major news organ moved to cover the tragedy. The unfolding coverage has come with unfolding criticism as well concerning the speed at which the story was taken up: especially by network news. One thing everyone seems to agree on: user generated news rose to the occasion.
FIRST IN: On the cable news side of things, CNN was the first to pick up the emerging story. They were also the first news organ to get a firsthand account of the scene on the ground. Fox News Channel was not far behind, and included a school webcam in their coverage. MSNBC was last on the scene, but earlier reports that the network waited a half-hour before reporting appear to have been incorrect. [TV Newser]
Network News remained largely a non-entity: The tragedy wasn't enough for the networks to dislodge their primetime lineups in favor of coverage. Paul Farhi of the Washington Post wonders aloud: "Just how big does a story have to be these days to get the broadcast networks to pay attention during their most watched hours?" He cites Katrina, 9-11, and the deaths of Reagan and Pope John Paul II as events worthy of network coverage. Money quote: Dean of the University of Maryland School of Journalism Tom Kunkel: "It does kind of make you wonder how big a blood bath there has to be warrant their attention in prime time. How bad does it have to be to supplant 'Dancing With the Stars'?" [Washington Post]
Tom Shales' take: "Bad News, Broken Slowly." Katie Couric and Brian Williams both were on the scene at Blacksburg; Shales praises Williams outdoor location over Couric's "non-descript room" for the "aura of authenticity." Fox News gets praise: "...a day of proving that the network is more than just a staging ground for shouting matches...its reporting was solid and enterprising." CNN ran cellphone video: "What made it unique and valuable was the soundtrack: Gunshots could be heard coming from one of the buildings." [Washington Post]
Solid Work from Local Paper: The closest newspaper to Virginia Tech was The Roanoke Times, who contributed valuable reports all day long. They posted regular updates in blog format, got images that were picked up nationally, and offered a full range of stories including eyewitness accounts, criticism of the school's response, and scenes from the aftermath.
Widespread use of blog format: The Roanoke Times wasn't alone in using the blog format to capture information as it unfolded. Blogs were used throughout by national newspapers as well. The New York Times dropped breaking news into its "The Lede" blog all day long. After the student newspaper, The Collegiate Times exeperienced a site outage, their editors quickly established a blog to cover the story from the ground.
Powerful story you'll likely hear about: Liviu Librescu, a twenty-year lecturer at Virginia Tech and a 76-year old Holocaust survivor, blocked the door to his classroom to allow his students to escape. He was killed saving the lives of his students.
