Media coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting
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Part of a series of articles on the Virginia Tech shooting |
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On April 16, 2007, media from around the world descended on Blacksburg, Virginia upon receiving word of the shootings, including American evening news anchors Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and Charles Gibson. Additionally, all network morning shows and the late-night ABC show Nightline sent reporters to the Virginia Tech campus for live coverage. The media soon labeled the event the "deadliest school shooting in American history."
In addition to the extensive, world-wide media coverage of the event, there was intense speculation immediately following the massacre over the state of mind of the perpetrator. The focus was not only on the perpetrator and the incident, but also on the media itself, with journalistic ethics being questioned. The media and the general public also questioned American gun control policies as a result of the killings.
Jamal Albarghouti (البرغوثي), a graduate student at Virginia Tech, on April 16, 2007, recorded video of the exterior of Norris Hall during the classroom shootings. Albarghouti captured the footage using the video function on his cell phone while ducking for safety outside the building where the shooting occurred. The video displays police officers reacting to the sound of gunshots, which could be heard coming from the interior of the campus building. His video footage was televised frequently during the course of the event, and additionally logged over 1.8 million hits the day of the incident on CNN's I-Report, a feature that allows viewers to send video footage as well as photos from their cellphone or personal cameras. Albarghouti's video was some of the most memorable media coverage of the event, notably for its audio capture of the shooter's methodic gunfire.
Albarghouti was later interviewed on CNN's Situation Room and appeared on Larry King Live later that day. He said to Larry King that he left the dangerous streets of the Middle East to come to a safe town, Blacksburg, in Virginia to study. He went on to say that he still considers the town to be safe.
The cellphone used by Albarghouti is now headed to the Newseum in Washington D.C., a museum dedicated to the history of Journalism.
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