We all knew immigration was a pretty heated issue in the wake of the past presidential election, but to some it's apparently a matter of life-and-death... or maybe just death. In a still-developing story from the Associated Press, a gunman reportedly staged an attack on the American Civic Association building in Binghamton, N.Y., today. The death toll is into the double digits (12-13), and the gunman is purportedly included among the casualties, making this a sort of single-handed kamikaze mission.
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I was interested to inspect coverage of a breaking news story in light of the shifting focus of journalism from a print medium to an online one. There is no question that the rapid and malleable nature of the Internet allows for instantaneous, up-to-date coverage of breaking news (I had to refresh the article several times while writing this blog post because information kept getting added and revised). If this ran in a print publication, it would most likely be undeveloped, as articles must be written well in advance to go to print and be circulated. Plus, there would be no room for developing the story in the immediate sense.
Times are moving faster and faster these days, which calls for round-the-clock, rapid news updates. The visual components and ability to constantly update the news made possible by the Web show that print journalism just can't compete these days.
Times are moving faster and faster these days, which calls for round-the-clock, rapid news updates. The visual components and ability to constantly update the news made possible by the Web show that print journalism just can't compete these days.
Thoughtless, large-scale assaults like this are, sadly, nothing new (unibomber Ted Kacynski, Columbine, the Virginia Tech massacre) -- but this doesn't change the sheer horror of incidents like this. In the volatile climate of our world, which is exacerbated by the faltering economy, catastrophic incidents like this can happen when you least expect it. Social issues boil to a head, and it only takes one zealous, deranged individual to make them erupt. The saddest part is that a college student was reportedly killed in this massacre.
It's unclear what the motives behind this attack were, and we may never have concrete answers now that the gunman himself is dead. But the motive behind the attack likely sprung from the gunman's hostile attitude toward immigrants hoping to become naturalized Americans. I think it shows the destructive nature of a purist, fundamentalist view like this of who should belong in America. That argument is null and void for anybody who lives in America who is not a Native American -- that is to say, practically everybody. It's tragic that people can be blinded by hate to the point of this type of lashing out.
Interesting post. Back in the early 1980s, journalists were expressing some of present-day fears about the death of print due to 24-hour television news coverage. How is news content on the Internet different than its digital predecessor?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that breaking news is more suitable for the Internet. There still is (and should be) substantial coverage included in print media as well. Like we discussed in class, not everyone is as connected as a particular media-savvy subset of the population, so it's important to still feature breaking news in print.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, online updates sent to cell phones may help save lives if someone is in the center of an dangerous situation or emergency. In a post-9/11 world, this seems to be a priority for people. On the other hand, it would be a bit strange to see the immigration center story as a "Twitter Tweet," even if it's produced by CNN. "Tweeting" about deadly news events may seem out of place, as the average Twitter post is usually light-hearted. Regardless, the tweet could save a life if someone who had intended to visit the center received the tweet from his or her cell phone before their visit.