My Rant- Florida Shooting Media Coverage
By PLETHOS
@Plethos (13718)
United States
February 16, 2018 4:14pm CST
Theres one thing that has continued to bother me about the recent school shooting in florida and the coverage on it from this past valentines day.
The media coverage, specifically the interviewing of the high school students themselves. I dont like the young kids, yes they are kids, being interviewed, it gives me the creeps.
On one news station a young girl was talking about what she went through. I could sense and see her emotions change from normal, to shaky, to scared, to guilt and everywhere in between that was possible.
The interviewer asked her what grade and age she was, her answer, freshman and 15.
In a sense it sorta hit home to me. When I was her age I went through a friends death in high school. He was also 15 and died by an accidental shooting. When his death happened, we were all sent to the office to talk to a psychiatrist at school.
All the emotions and what I went through and saw around me at that time in my life all of a sudden came back to me. Its hung over me since that day of the shootings. Slowly its starting to recede back into the dark closet of my brains memories.
I wish that the school or parents wouldve advised this young girl and all students to not talk to the press until shes spoken with a psychiatrist or similar. I am really irked by this girl being interviewed while still in such a vulnerable state of mind, shock and emotions.
Press should know better. Society and current social media has failed this girl and the school.
*** Ive had this written in my head for a little while now, figured I had to get it out, rant style***
Photograph- Taken/Owned by me, Plethos
30 people like this
23 responses
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
17 Feb 18
yes, i believe the students who are victims of that incident, should not be interviewed first-hand right after the shooting. it may give them jitters and depression, or changes in personality. they might not want to go back to school.
2 people like this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
17 Feb 18
@Plethos the news from them can be done later, but i think it should not be immediately.
2 people like this
@LindaCPearson (2240)
• United States
19 Feb 18
I agree 100% with you. Unfortunately, the press will prey on anyone to make the news. I felt the same way and cringed when watching the press go at those poor innocent young kids.
2 people like this
@rebelann (117196)
• El Paso, Texas
16 Feb 18
Somebody needs to do something about the irresponsible idea of freedom of the press, what about right to privacy?
What's worse is that the parents of these kids didn't put a stop to it but I imagine the parents are hoping their kids gain fame from the exposure ..... STUPID if that's the case.
1 person likes this
@Plethos (13718)
• United States
18 Feb 18
People , this generation of youth mostly, have grown up with the belief that you must share your life on social media, privacy aint important. So the first place they go to to "talk" is on their blog, vblog, twitter, facebook, social media forums without first stopping and gathering themselves.
1 person likes this
@star_disgate (911)
• Phoenix, Arizona
15 May 18
You bring up a very good point. It is hard to see them trying to interview kids who just went through something as terrible as this. They need to just leave the poor kids alone.
1 person likes this
@Plethos (13718)
• United States
15 May 18
after a traumatic experience like that, they need time to adjust. with the school year just about over, im waiting for the press to be there on graduation day for the seniors. im sure itll be another 2 or 3 days of coverage for the media.
1 person likes this
@star_disgate (911)
• Phoenix, Arizona
15 May 18
@Plethos I remember one of the kids in my senior year drowning at the lake. It was a scary experience and I am glad we didn't have media for that.
1 person likes this
@Plethos (13718)
• United States
15 May 18
@star_disgate - kids nowadays are too conditioned to share every detail of their life on the internet. because of them, we have lost the meaning of personal privacy.
@NJChicaa (127116)
• United States
16 Feb 18
I agree. They had a girl on the Today show and Savannah Guthrie asked her how her best friend, who was shot, was doing. The poor girls answer? “Um, she didn’t make it.”
I was OUTRAGED. That was absolute exploitation of that poor child! How DARE they do that to her on national television just for ratings?
That poor girl will be traumatized for life because of what she went through. It was a 5 minute segment to Guthrie and Kotb. Screw them.
2 people like this
@everwonderwhy (7355)
•
22 Feb 18
The media hype is at it again--- pandering on the vulnerable emotions of fear and uncertainty those children are going through.
Right now, our children should have their parents' or trusted guardians' assurance that we will protect them from perves and thugs such as the school shooter. FBI was tipped months before about this perv of a shooter.
I'm not a PC, as well.
1 person likes this
@everwonderwhy (7355)
•
25 Feb 18
@Plethos Obviously, CNN had undermined these kids' parental responsibility over their own children. That sick school shooter obtained his rifle illegally, unlawfully. Obviously, he did not go through extreme background check and intensive training with NRA protocol. I hope that the people who "gave" the rifle to that mentally sick school shooter (like the Vegas shooter who was mentally sicko) to commit such crimes for political agenda will soon get caught.
1 person likes this
@everwonderwhy (7355)
•
27 Feb 18
@Plethos And then, the police or feds did not do anything when he was reported 39 times about what he was about to do being a "professional school shooter"? The weapons "shop" where the shooter had bought it from, was it an NRA licensed member or something? I'm intrigued. Need more research.
1 person likes this
@everwonderwhy (7355)
•
27 Feb 18
@Plethos Hmmm... and then, he is the first, among the exploited 'distressed youth' ,to criticize the NRA reps and 2nd Amendment Constitution law-abiding constituents of "killing our children?"
I wish these talented youths should fight for the rights of unborn babies being killed in abortion clinics every minute everyday. I'm trying to understand if there's logic in all this.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40230)
• United States
19 Feb 18
Feel welcome to rant any time.
I'm sorry about your friend.
I agree - it was inappropriate for the press to come around until after the students had gotten some form of counseling
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40230)
• United States
21 Feb 18
@Plethos Sensationalizing on their discomfort at the memory is deplorable. :(
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20254)
•
17 Feb 18
Guess the press wanted 'fresh' and 'raw' emotions/facts. Some teenagers (and human beings in general) have a habit of dramatise things when they have time to think about it. It is like, 'what can I get out from this or that interview'. (It often happened in the past) Then again, many will back away from being interviewed after the trauma has been buried intentionally & successfully.
I haven't watched that coverage yet. Let hope she won't get upset in the future, from re-watching that clip.1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
20 Feb 18
The press doesn't care about these kids they care about attracting views and it is disgusting the lengths they are will to go to.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174208)
• United States
24 Feb 18
The press don't care how old a person is... all they care about are ratings (for TV) and sales counts (for newspapers). Interviewing an emotionally distraught teen guarantees them higher ratings... The public LOVE to see emotions displayed in the media. The public gets to live through the event along with the teenager that way...
And yes, that is a sick and somewhat perverted thing to do!
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23979)
• United Kingdom
20 Feb 18
Understandably she is trying to make sense of it all still even though she is 15 she is still a child. She may be mature but it was quite an horrific thing to have to go through and no child should have to go through that. I am glad you were able to talk to someone, to try and make some sense of it although there is no sense of this kind of incident. Those poor kids and you will have to live with that through the rest of your lives.
As for the press they do not care about you or the kids needs they only want to make a story and earn their $$$$ if they intrude into your life they do not care one iota. I wish you well and hope that this has not disturbed you too much and brought it all to the fore again for you! Let these demons slip back where they belong into the back of your mind! Good luck!
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
16 Mar 18
I agree with you, I don't think the media needs to make things worse for those who lived.
1 person likes this
@Namelesss (3364)
• United States
20 Feb 18
You should get it out and people do need to speak out for human sensibilities. Lord knows the media aren't going to do it.
1 person likes this
