The tragic events at Virginia Tech earlier this week will take their own place in U.S. history. Alongside the Asian Tusnami and London’s 7/7 bombings, the reporting of them may also come to be seen as a defining moment in participatory or citizen journalism. I was struck by a number of issues newsrooms had to confront.
Does mainstream media’s promotion of citizen journalism encourage risk-taking?
The iconic video from Jamal Albarghouti — was submitted to CNNs i-reports citizen journalism project. Widely lauded, it nevertheless led observers including lhe Philadelphia Daily News’ Ellen Gray to ask whether the lure of recognition by traditional media is prompting citizens to take unnecessary risks.
Is there a risk of repeating unfounded rumours found on the social web?
Facebook the social networking site which focuses on students was the forum for many tributes to those killed. And friends struggling to make contact via phone were able to check whether students were OK via their Facebook pages. But social networking sites like Facebook were used by bloggers attempting to establish the identity of the killer and a Virginia Tech student whose online profile in LiveJournal graphically illustrated his penchant for guns, found himself the target of much abuse. Wired made the observation that mainstream media had not named the accused but this changed when he later turned to traditional media to clear his name.
Does the advent of social media render censoring of material on the grounds of taste irrelevant?
NBC agonised over screening parts of the killer’s ‘multimedia manifesto’ and attracted criticism. But seasoned bloggers like Dave Winer point out the tendency for such material to end up on the Web eventually anyway. Winer advocates allowing citizens to make up their own minds whether to watch or not.
How should journalists handle requests to use material from social media?
On photo-sharing site Flickr a Virginia Tech Shooting pool was set up attracting a number of media enquiries about access to the images. If, as in this case, media requests are made via comments in discussions or blogs, the interested reader can see the newsgathering process in the raw. Journalists leave highly visible footprints and are going to have to learn to step lightly.
Are blogs and social networking sites ‘fair game’ for journalists looking for quotes?
The BBCs Robin Harman, whose personal blog is widely followed by journalists, was one of the first to start compiling eyewitness accounts from blog entries. Some of those he sampled found themselves being contacted directly by journalists for interviews, and some found that objectionable. Robin admits to being shaken by the experience and advocates greater sensitivity among journalists to what should be considered private at such times.
Do journalists have the skills to harness social media?
Amid the profusion of content sources and the huge volume of comment, Shane Richmond, community editor for the U.K.s Daily Telegraph, likened seeking original sources to looking for a needle in a haystack and references Paul Bradshaw’s call for journalists to become proficient in Technorati, YouTube and their like.
I’m not sure about the answers, I’m certain the questions aren’t going away. What do you think?
Mark Jones is Reuters Global Community Editor
Photo credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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This is just another example of irresponsible journalism. I am sure Jerry Springer and Maury will be waiting in the wings to offer their brand of journalistic justice to the general public.
- Posted by John HarrisThis is totally incorrigible and irresponsible. NBC has just assured the next copycat shooter that he will get his grievances heard if he manages to kill 33 innocent people next time. The responsible thing to do would have been to make mention of this drivel he left and then turn it over to the police who are still investigating. I will no longer watch NBC.
- Posted by AllanI would give some credibility to Loren Coleman:
- Posted by JosephThe Copycat Effect, a book in which he explores the
possibilties of copy-cat acting as well as suicide
killers.
It is really like he describes the spreading of the
news of school shootings without even mentioning
spreading all over the world (I leave in Ireland).
It’s quite possible that one or the other gets
inspired to do likewise.
I am a NY public middle school teacher and do not normally watch television M-F. When my students came in this morning, I sat there in shock, not knowing what to say, because I didn’t know what they had seen. These kids (11-14 yrs)were actually excited about seeing this and couldn’t stop talking about it. Saddam Hussein’s execution produced similar results. Now I am grappling with the idea of having to watch and read to help my students.
I don’t think we adults fully stop to think about what kids are exposed to and how they process information. The reasoning part of the brain is not fully formed until adulthood.
I was also appalled to see the shooter posing with his weapons on the front cover of our local paper (that is delivered to our students).
I’m not for cencorship, I just feel we have lost common sense–and our dignity along with it.
- Posted by Linda Show irresposible and foolish ( or maybe too ruthless and insensitive to be exact) can these news media be??!!! i am disgusted to the bottom of my soul by these media people..
HOW CAN THEY POST THE PHOTOS OF THIS COWARD, MANIAC, POINTING GUN AFTER WHAT HE HAS DONE…
does the news media have any sense?
On CNN website this coward’s photo was front page in the exact attire he did the killing for ALMOST ALL EVENING AND NIGHT ….. i could not even look at it.. it was so DISGUSTING…
it is as if .. the media czars wants us to re live this again and again..
utterly irresposible on the part of media…
they should have just given this coward murderer’s material to the mental doctors and police and spared us this utterly lowest form of communication from this scum…
MSNBC has acted totally irresposible…
We have no fear…
- Posted by DavidWe love our freedom…
We love our country
God bless America..
Wade is right as rain. I changed my Home Page to avoid seeing a manic murderer everytime I logged on.
Last year, many marveled at the dignity and forgiveness exhibited by the Amish when their children were murdered. VTech provides the perfect opportunity for the media to take the high road, too. Show the public you will NOT provide the soap box for a criminal’s twisted messages and motives. In doing so, you just might earn the public’s respect and disuade a copycat killer from trying to set a new record.
- Posted by Kelly CIt’s very simple. We should never refer to the individual by name. He should be given a reference number. Idiot # (fill in the blank) works for me, though I wouldn’t be opposed to Psycho # or Freak # either.
Frankly, I place a lot of this one on the school. They obviously knew he was disturbed. Why didn’t they boot him out? Had they revoked his visa he wouldn’t even have been here to kill those kids. The worst crime is that he snuffed out so many bright and promising lights.
- Posted by SevenOfNineThe Media seems to “enjoy” a good killing. They never take into account the victims family’s and how they feel. My daughter was going to collage to become a journalist. But after witnessing the actions of the media, she said there was no way she was going to add to the manic feeding frenzy that has become “The Media.” It use to be that the role of the media was to tell just the facts as it came. But now they have become more like a Quentin Tarantino film . Campy and full of blood and gore. The media has become a joke and a intimation of the so-called entertainment industry.
- Posted by LillyI am truly shocked by MSNBC and NBC, its parent company. I have been upset for some time at their sloppy bias in presenting the “news”. The release of this value-less evidence was heartless and completely irresponsible. I’ve turned them off for GOOD!!!
- Posted by Chris GSo my request is for the media outlets, such as Reuters, to at least pull down the “FrontPage” images of the 9mm pointing straight at the readership. On the Reuters homepage, there are two of these images - one at the top & the second in the video section.
I mean really…you want to have conversation about media effects and you point a (figurative) gun at us?
There were too many other images Reuters could be using. If a person clicks thru and finds this “9mm pointing” picture, I’m okay with that. But to put it on the homepage is just silly. Grow up already
- Posted by WadeI found CNN’s Nancy Grace to be predictably irresponsible. At a time of tragedy, the last thing that everyone needs is a self-righteous, bullying commentator pointing the finger at various people and institutions saying Blame them! Blame them! Its their fault! and harassing anyone who dared not to agree. It was appalling to watch her interview students, fishing for angry, vindictive statements and sound-bites that she dearly wanted and didnt get, I might add. The Virginia Tech students, as young as they were and after what they had been through, showed far more dignity, restraint and class than could ever be expected of Nancy.
- Posted by Ralph GoldingI think that this horrific event has to be talked about for a few days at least to give folks time to attempt to absorb it somehow. People need to time to at least attempt to pick things apart and finally figure out that there wasn’t much that could be done. But folks have to go through the process.
- Posted by deb taylorno offense to the victoms and their families, but the media really reached a new low.
3 days into this “blood bath” expose’ and 170 people die by the hand of crazy man and all they get is a 3 minute spot on the news! 5.3 times as many people die and all the media does is wallow for 4 days over 32?
someone’s priority’s are seriously messed up!
enough already move on
- Posted by frankIT’s the money, honey. Sex and violence sells.
- Posted by T NicholMedia of all description appear to be falling all over themselves trying to blast this pathetic man’s story into the personal sphere of anyone unfortunate enough to be exposed to newsprint, TV, radio or internet. Their shared insensitivity is hugely offensive to those of us who realize there is a logical limit to how much of this garbage we can countenance. Editors and news directors are abdicating their responsibilities to provide “news we can use” as opposed to hyper graphic violence pandering.
- Posted by DaveIt’s such a fine line that the media has to walk in situations like this. On the one hand, the more notoriety killers receive, the more others will fantasize about it. On the other hand, the video of the killer helps educate people on the mindset involved.
It seems that the country is fairly divided on whether it was appropriate or inappropriate to air the video. What does this say about us?
- Posted by BillNBC is just giving the white trash, I mean people what they want. As far as those offended by it all, there is a power button on that remote. You do have a free will. The media is just a reflection of the trash we have become.
- Posted by AlanBesides the repeated showing of the video and related images, what I find most distressing is the media’s belief that the images will cause no harm, but that vulgarities (swear words) uttered by Cho are offensive. In the video Cho clearly uses swear words which are “bleeped” out in an effort to protect us, the public. WHat would have happened if Cho had made Imus-like utterances?
- Posted by Hubble QSCUM, that is what the folks at NBC are for not only airing this but most likely selling the photographs and videos to other networks. I know they don’t pass that stuff around for free. Way to make money off of a bunch of slain American college kids. As long as NBC and other forms of media get their ratings nothing else in this country matters. Not much surprises me anymore in this country and especially with the media and lack of compassion and taste for good journalism. Please explain to us and the families who lost their children how the video of that FREAK is news. We’d love to hear it. SCUM
- Posted by Ja BuffIN REPLY TO GRANT–
Your comparison of bloodshed for various means to a political end is the issue at its core. Your comparison is fundamentally flawed. Do Al Qaeda victim families (freedom fighters though they may be considered) have the same rights as the innocent slaughtered at VT? Your comparison is without compassion and an irrelevant tangent.
- Posted by Chris