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Playing Catch Up
Friday, April 20, 2007
The tragedy at Virginia Tech taught us many lessons this week. While most relate to social and psychological matters, the PR field learned that citizen journalism is becoming more prevalent with every major event. First Post, an online magazine, referred to the phenomenon in an article titled “Citizen journalists seize the day”.
This Monday, we were glued to our computer screens and not to the television as we watched the unbelievable horror unfold. The traditional press was slow and clumsy to stay on top of the events, while the students and passersby wasted no time chronicling their accounts on websites like Twitter and Flickr. Students’ LiveJournal entries were later used by the traditional media outlets to compile their stories.
So what was the role of the media giants that we are accustomed to for news?
On Wednesday, The Today Show was taping from the Virginia Tech campus and the entire three hour show was devoted to covering the tragedy from every imaginable angle.
In the middle of the three hours, Meredith Viera interviewed Regina Rohde, a young woman who was a freshman at Columbine High School during that incident in 1999 and is now a senior at Virginia Tech.
After she shared her raw emotions with America, Meredith brought up the fact that Rohde was hesitant to do an interview with Today, because she had ill memories of how the media’s attention on her community at Columbine had affected her as well as her peers and family.
The community needs time to grieve without cameras recording their every tear, Rohde explained. A community needs space to heal on its own.
At the same time, Rohde acknowledged that the news has an obligation to report these tragic events to the world and to honor those who were affected. But there is a fine line between reporting and prying.
In the days of the Columbine tragedy, citizen and online journalism was in a premature state, yet Rohde’s point remains relevant to this issue of the role of traditional media. For example, does Today have to be parked outside of the campus and devote their entire three hour show to interviewing various affected parties? Is this even news, or is it a tactless attempt at tear jerking?
As we come to rely more on the Internet, perhaps news shows, such as Today, will focus on providing commentary to events as opposed to reporting them in the traditional newsy fashion. In the midst of this transition, we will undoubtedly encounter more of these awkward attempts to offer original content. Certainly, a new set of standards and ethics will come into play.
Because while this week it was Virginia Tech – an event that probably deserves the air time it is getting – last week it was Imus and some months ago, Anna Nicole Smith.
Viewers, if they haven’t already, will surely come to rely on the Internet for breaking news and might only tune into their television for something extra.Labels: media
posted by Gina Bolotinsky
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