It is, quite simply, too soon for anyone to propose remedies, laws, or operational changes based on the tragedy at Newtown, save one. The media are a mess. Their competitive search for continuing sensationalism as they hover over grieving parents is stunning and crass. The loss of a child violates life’s natural order. The sudden loss of a child makes that violation seem unbearable. As a parent who has lost a child, my heart aches for these parents. As a professor of ethics witnessing the behavior of the media, my outrage grows.
Ironically, despite their 24/7 hovering, the media have still managed to get most of the story wrong. When you have misidentified the shooter, falsely reported that his mother worked at the school, and listed his very-much-alive father as being among the dead, the term “crackerjack” does not come to mind. The number and level of their errors should find them stepping back, returning to basics of journalism and waiting for two to three sources before taking to the air. Heck, just waiting two to three hours might have helped. Instead, they have tweeted, broadcasted, speculated, and offered hearsay three times removed as fact — fact that causes judgment and springs even more callous politicians into their ideological battles. The fight for political gains by our elected officials before the funerals of these children have been held gives you warm fuzzies about jackals. They, incredulously, have topped the media in the “hearts of stone” contest.
Rather than harassing the folks of Newtown, the media should behave as researchers, gathering facts that might lead us in the direction of causation. They should study similar acts of violence and draw out common threads. They should examine statistics on these horrific incidents and see the when, how, and where — just the basics of journalism that might guide us when the time comes for discussion of prevention. And here’s a safety tip: focus on facts that ARE know. Teach us history. Factual  reviews and causal analysis take time and thoughful reflection. You may have to crack a book or two to really find out the history of depraved conduct. But, the time would be well spent and this novel approach to journalism would give some cub reporter a chance to distinguish himself. Distguishing yourself from the crowd requires departure from the crowd. Leave Newtown alone. Fulfill your responsibilities as journalists with honor. We need you out here in the world of facts.  Abandon speculation and hovering. Give the people of Newtown a gift — the ability to grieve in private.
