The Coverage of the Gabrielle Giffords Tragedy

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 7:49pm

I'm extremely upset about what happened in Tucson. My heart goes out to all those affected by it. I've actually shed a tear or two over that adorable 9 year old girl who was killed. However, it seems that every time I turn on the television or open a newspaper, I get another report about how bright this young girl was and what a promising future she had. Yes, she probably did. However, isn't there anything else to report about? I'm getting the same news over and over. Eventually we'll hear so much about this that we'll become inured to the who situation.

Yes, this whole matter is a tragedy, but I think it's being over-reported.

I've shut the television off and am now listening to the radio.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 8:36pm

That's what the 24 hour news cycle does to us all.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:14pm

I think Christina is getting a bit more attention in this area because of her grandfather who worked for the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees.

I have Philadelphia news on to get updates on the upcoming storm and they mentioned Christina but none of the other victims.

So take her being only nine add a local connection and you get a big news story.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 8:50am

Personally, I don't see how this could be overreported. The story of Christina Green is too compelling for the media to ignore: born on 9/11/2001, asking her parents to bring her to meet her congresswoman. The congresswoman herself is doing well, but not out of danger. The story of the heroic actions of some of the people there, like Daniel Hernandez, should be told. Though I hold out no hope of any progress in gun control because every politician in this country fears the NRA, at least folks are talking about the need for reasonable regulations.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 9:23am

madbrian, it was actually a neighbor who invited her and brought her to the event. Her parents were not there. The neighbor was also shot several times but is expected to recover.

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:10am

Frankly the significance of her being born on 9/11 complete eludes me.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:15am

The only coverage I'm impressed with is Jon Stewart last night.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:18am

She's more deserving of the attention than balloon boy was.

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:39am

Of course we would like to hear about it, but when it first happened, I was watching television, and for the entire night, CNN was saying it was "Breaking News" and didn't talk about anything else. Granted, they were also scrolling across the bottom that "Injured Spider-Man Actor to Attend performance Friday." This was on Saturday.

[Yawper]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:51am

Young kids are little more than speculative potential. I feel a lot more for the older woman who lost her 76-year-old husband.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 12:15pm

"The only coverage I'm impressed with is Jon Stewart last night."

I thought Rachel Maddow had a very good show last night. In addition to journalistic reporting, she landed an interview with Daniel Hernandez.

"Young kids are little more than speculative potential..."

In all the years I've been on BWW, I can't think of a more horrible thought expressed on this board.

[Yawper]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 12:28pm

try this one on - even the shooter was a nine year old at one time

[Eris0303]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 12:36pm

Frankly the significance of her being born on 9/11 complete eludes me.

Well, it was her father that said her life started in tragedy and ended in tragedy. In most of the pieces I've read/seen it was on a side note. But the Phelps people are saying she deserved to die because she was born on that day and because her family is Catholic.

btw....has anyone heard of the "angel wings" project? People from the community are planning on wearing 8'x10' angel wings and forming a circle around the mourners to shield Phelps from them. I think it's a lovely gesture but will do nothing to deter Phelps. He wants attention and this gives it to him

Updated On: 1/11/11 at 12:36 PM

Posted: 1/11/11 at 12:58pm

Yes Eris I saw the Angel Wings in action and it's wonderful- completely non-violent and non-confrontational but very powerful.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 1:06pm

I love the Angel Wings idea. There are no words to really tell you what I think of Fred Phelps, but you can use your imagination.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 1:14pm

Oh, Yawper. That was a deeply hideous comment.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 1:15pm

The Angel Wings started at Matthew Shepherd's funeral. His friends did it to block WBC and their ugliness. Romaine Patterson was his best friend and one of the people who came up with it.

[Yawper]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 9:54pm

My comment is very clear-eyed. Tough **** if you don't like it. That nine year old could have grown into a monster or a bubble-headed worthless bimbo just as easily as a sweetheart.

The elderly couple, on the other hand, had already established themselves and contributed to society. Elderly folks deserve this less than anyone.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 10:32pm

Wow, Yawper. Normally I'd think someone who posted messages like you did was just some small-d!cked loser trying to get a rise out of people

But you, dude, were truly profound.

Thank you.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:17pm

"Tough **** if you don't like it. That nine year old could have grown into a monster or a bubble-headed worthless bimbo just as easily as a sweetheart."

Holy deranged, understatement to the glass half-empty hypothetical, Batman! I am more lenient then some on the rule of speaking ill of the dead but what did that 9 year-old ever do to provoke such thoughts? Of course this is all at a great distance in the anonymous interwebs and not in the vicinity of her family or other victims and their families.

I can understand beginning to the tune out the news coverage of this event because of the nature of the 24 hour news cycle but, consider this news media makes much more hay comparatively about the shooter and not the victims. Everybody is being an armchair psychologist over Loughner and his mugshot becoming public pretty much created an online sensation in reaction. If you want to blame the media, fine, exploiting the lost innocence of a child has become a functioning tool for the media sadly and had been long before this incident. Yes, the older victims are not getting mentioned because they lived a life, essentially, and are seen as less compelling. That this coverage is acceptable says a lot about the news media. But, turning it inside out against the victims themselves and their families serves little purpose and is being misdirected.

Updated On: 1/12/11 at 11:17 PM

[Yawper]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 8:37am

stop pretending you know anything at all about the kid or how she was going to grow up

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 9:46am

I'm going to choose to believe that you're bored and just trying to get a rise out of people. Hope you have a nice day!

[Marianne2]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 9:55am

And what do you know about the elderly people? They could have some baggage they are hiding. They also could be the nastiest people on the planet. We don't know because we don't know them personally.