The Virginia Tech Shootings: News and Outreach Come From Blogs and Facebook

Obviously, there’s very little that can be said about the tragedy at Virginia Tech that has not yet been said. It’s horrifying, disturbing. My prayers are with those who are suffering.

One thing that I find interesting about this whole situation is where I’m getting my news. Everything on CNN is just pure repetition. Meanwhile, the most informative news is coming from the students themselves on Facebook. The group I’m OK at VT enables students to share that they are alright with their friends. The conversation here and at the VT community board paints the most compelling, non-sanitized picture of what has occurred. It reminds us that underneath all the monetized media sensationalism, there are people who are really hurting.

Also, facts have emerged on blogs that are not yet a part of the mainstream media. Michelle Malkin posted a deeply disturbing e-mail from a student who was in Norris hall at the time of the shootings. Apparently, the gunman chained the doors. Brutally Honest has the transcript of an instant message with a student that indicates the mainstream media had even less of the real story than we originally thought.

Previously, this kind of word of mouth and the attendant community support would have been limited to the campus. But as we get a real window into the world of the shootings, we become a real part of the affected community. I hope that we can use that extension of community to reach out and help more than we use it for voyeurism.