Thoughts on "News Cycles"

[Buddy Lee]

After all the events that have occured over the past week (VT, Partial Birth Abortion Ruling, Bldg 44 at NASA, Blue Angels Crash) I began to wonder, "What is it about a story that captures the national attention?"

These thoughts resulted from a review of past "big stories": Natalee Holloway, a multitude of teachers having sex with students, runaway brides, Lacy Peterson, etc. Clearly there are elements of each of these that are worthy of note. However, what brings these events to the forefront of the country's consciousness? Slow news day? Importance? Human interest?

I believe that there are some stories; the events of the past week, for example (VT in particular), that should capture our attention. But, why should a missing bride, who ran away to Utah, garner so much reportage and discussion? Another example. I was working in Boulder, Colorado (Hell even in the same neighborhood) at the time of the Jon Benet Ramsey incident. Certainly it was a local story, but why did it explode across the, dare I say it, world p s yche (Hmm, has that error been fixed?). Why is this case important to skynight up in New York state? What value does reporting it bring to Malechi in California.

Certainly VT is an important matter. There are a multitude of important aspects that need to be discussed. Mental Health care and incarceration. Gun laws. Systematic problems with background checks. The p s y chological reactions of the students (both during and after the event). College administration and police response. All these things have importance. All should be debated and solutions found. But then I go to the other shooting event this week. One in which a disgruntled employee decided that the reaction to a poor performance review was to execute the reviewer. This event is along the same lines of VT and has a multitude of simularities, yet it is not getting nearly the same attention.

This lack of attention perhaps can be explained by the fact that VT was so massive, so out of the ordinary. But, the other stories, the ones in the past, why do they come into the open in such a huge way?

Ramblings end.

Buddy Lee