We were curious how high school newspapers chose to
cover the Virginia Tech shootings. Did
they give in to the temptation to rehash the story after-the-fact? How did they localize the shootings for their
schools? We went to the 2007 online
Pacemaker award-winners to find out.
Most of the papers used the shootings as a touchstone to
discuss security issues at their schools. Tam News' (Tamalpais High School, Mill Valley, Calif.) article, "Campus Security in Spotlight After Virginia Tech Shootings," is a good example of this.
The Paly Voice (Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, Calif.) wrote an editorial discussing the role that teasing plays in school violence.
What can we do about
it? Try to stop the comparisons. The put-downs. The
judging. Don't make fun of people just to get a kick out of
it. If you really need incentive beyond just that, then
think of it this way. Do you really want to be that
"hedonistic" jerk who puts the shooter over the
edge?
Silver Chips Online (Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md.) posted a compilation of the facts as a "forum for discussion." The posting produced a flurry of comments.
The Online Gargoyle (University Laboratory High School, Urbana, Ill.) produced a personal experience column. One of the editors grew up in Blacksburg, Va., where the shootings took place.
The A-Blast Online of Annandale High School in Virginia created a podcast as a memorial for a 2006 graduate who died in the shootings.
How did you cover the VA Tech shootings? Send us your links.
-- Jacky Hicks
