No, this is not a post about the Virginia Tech massacre. I don’t think there’s anything that has not been said or published or shown on TV (repeatedly) already. What I would like to put my two cents worth is about how the media jumped the gun and accused the wrong person in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. The victim?? Wayne Chiang, a guy whose descriptions unfortunately match the killer’s. And here’s the 5 so called ‘clues’ to the media. (quotes Chiang during an interview)
“I was five for five,” Chiang said, referring to the descriptions of the killer being reported in the hours immediately following the killings. “I’m Asian. I went to [Virginia] Tech. I used to live in the dorm [where the first shootings occurred]. There’s the infamous picture of me with my guns.” Chiang also had written on his LiveJournal blog last week that he had broken up with his girlfriend.
“It sure sounds like me,” he said evenly. “I joked about it with a friend online. I didn’t think it would go anywhere but obviously, it did.”
What followed is just like a big nightmare for the poor guy, thousands flooded this blog and many leaving angry comments and even death threats. Though the truth came out in the end and apologies were made, the damage has been done. What puzzled the hell out of me is some still continue to pick on him on his way of handling the situation (of which I think is ridiculous as he has been handling it with nothing but grace and maturity); and worse, a TV station continues to use his images in conjunction to the killer’s. Now, that’s just pure ignorance and lake of professionalism right there.
I really wonder what is becoming of our media. Isn’t journalism about discovering the news and finding the truth? Shouldn’t some verification be done before presenting the news to the public? It’s really becoming like a circus nowadays. Maybe I should just go to the fiction section in the bookstores instead of the newsstand next time. BAH!
My condolences and prayers go out to those involved in this horrific tragedy.
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April 26th, 2007 at 3:32 am
aiks… i dint even know bout this.. sommore its near where i live… Crazy rite.. Sort of scary too cause i am starting Uni here haha thank goodness not Virginia shh… haha.. I was damn sad when i saw in the news 32died…sigh…and worst some is 18 and even 70’s haiz… The 70year old professor was one of the Suvivor of the Nazi Hallocause! (dunno how to spell)* than he jumped at the bullet to protect his students.. killed by a bullet in the end…
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April 26th, 2007 at 3:39 am
It is very sad.
The 76 year-old professor is indeed a remarkable person. He tried to stop the killer from entering the classroom by barricading the classroom door. All his students were able to escape because of this, but sadly he was gunned down by the killer. May he rest in peace.
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