Don’t start the story with sirens
June 2, 2010
TRULY choking news from Cumbria. As the news channels spin into overdrive to work out why Derrick Bird took up arms today, it might just be time for ‘the media’ to revisit this piece from Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker on his recent Newswipe series. The ignored forensic psychiatrist calmly explains the risks following a gun attack on a college campus in the United States:
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Wise advice indeed…
Good post and point taken. I’ve linked to it in the Guardian’s liveblog as we too go into overdrive
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2010/jun/03/cumbria-shootings-ukcrime
Matthew, interesting comment, as I would agree that the Guardian did indeed go into overdrive, and indeed went a step too far with allowing comments yesterday and encouraging rumour and conjecture.
Personally, I think Charlie Brooker should be made new editor of the Guardian, and we might get a paper that prioritises its stories according to actual importance, and reports them in a full, factual and relevant fashion. What you produced yesterday was worthless and a disgrace to the profession of journalism.
Definitely wise advice.
All UK news sources did their best to sensationalise this and ended up nigh-on glamourising the whole thing in the process.
It should have been reported in the national news at the normal times, and with normal coverage: as tragic as the whole thing is, it’s still just a news item.