Every now and then, a story breaks through the fog and grabs the attention of the entire country. The Virginia Tech massacre, deservedly so, was such a story. It was the largest mass killing in American history next to 9/11. It also resonated with the American public since virtually every American knows a college student. So people who don’t normally have much interest in the news became news consumers this week.
When you consume your news, you gobble. The less gluttonous news consumers who showed up this week nibble. As news providers, we had to deal with that reality. Hugh’s show runs for three hours. Normally it’s a highly entertaining and diverse three hours with a wealth of different guests popping in. On Monday, we had to run the show cognizant of the reality that many of the listeners would be stopping by only to learn details about what happened at Virginia Tech and get some analysis. They would get what they wanted, but new listeners would soon come by expecting the same thing. So the show, to meet the audience’s expectations and to be topical, had to necessarily be repetitive.
The news networks faced the same situation but, on a much larger scale. People were visiting CNN and Fox (and maybe even MSNBC) this week who seldom watch the news. To serve their customers’ wants and needs, the networks had to keep talking about and refreshing the Virginia Tech story.
MONDAY WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS EVER IN SUCH A SITUATION, actually reporting terrible news over the airwaves. It was a somewhat daunting responsibility and a strange sort of honor to be talking to so many Americans at the moment of a national trauma. I keenly felt the obligation to carry out my duties professionally, competently and responsibly. I hope I acquitted myself well, and I know I tried my best to bring a calm and sane perspective to what for many Americans was an emotional and difficult day.
By the end of the week, things were back to normal for both me and the big media. I had returned to blogging at Hugh’s website, and NBC had returned to chasing ratings by running the killer Cho manifesto, heedless of the harm that its actions might cause.
In my moment in big media, I learned some things about the way the media operates that I previously didn’t know and that I don’t think were particularly obvious. Other aspects of big media, like the way some of its members apparently lack a conscience, will remain a mystery to me for a bit longer.