EDITOR
Erin Gibson
OPINION
EDITOR
CUff Hicks
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Nancy Christensen
Brad Davis
Sam McKewon
Jeff Randall
Bret Schulte
Out
VIEW
Bad news
bearers
Television s handling of
. shooting irresponsible
As in any profession, the media contains
both good and bad professionals. Never is
this more evident than in the wake of a
national disaster. While some reporters, edi
tors, owners and producers have responsibly
covered the Littleton, Colo., shooting, many
national television news outlets have given
the collective media another jolly good black
eye.
In fact, the television coverage of the
Littleton school shooting reads like a bad
journalism how-to manual, replete with glo
rifying mass murderers, rampant editorializ
ing and sensationalizing a crime that would
attract international attention without the
extra hype.
And it is television that’s to blame.
Newspapers are a much more rational news
medium -day-after-the-event printed pages
that encourage in-depth analysis instead of
purely emotional reactions provoked by
quick-changing photos and instant sound
bytes from the tube.
Television’s guilt could grow heavier yet
if two different facets of the school shooting
news coverage ensure such tragedy repeats
itself. '*
First, the networks are fighting for ratings
using the scum of society - a couple of angst
soaked teen racists and mass murderers. In
this fight, television has glorified the very
scum it sought to vilify.
The two teens’ photos and homes get
flashed across the screen. Every element of
the duo’s lives - what music they listened to,
what video games they played, what they
wore to school - gets analyzed over and over
again. And, somehow, the fact that the two
were widely known Nazi enthusiasts whose
hate was tolerated by parents, classmates,
friends and teachers and the fact that they
planned a hate crime against minorities have
been shoved aside.
So the duo who were outcast nobodies in
high school have achieved national fame
post-mortem thanks to their killing rampage.
Outcast teens in other states already have
adopted the Hack trenchcoat garb and threat
ened their teachers with “another Colorado.”
Scarier yet: The killers’ notoriety, courtesy of
the television media, is a dream for suicidal
outcasts who ponder how folks will miss
than and remember them when they’re gone.
Second, the media have editorialized at
every turn - asking leading questions and
pointing fingers. One question we heard:
“Don’t you think it’s ironic that teens were
praying together during the ordeal, although
prayer in schools is forbidden? Even though
wearing a T-shirt that reads ‘I hate people’
isn’t forbidden?” Thus, the separation of
church and state becomes as much a culprit
as the teens’ clothes, music and gory video
games. It seems everything and everyone is
responsible for the teens’ behavior, with the
exception of the teens themselves.
Hate fuels hate. Let’s hope irresponsible
television hype and the glorification of the
killers hasn’t poured gasoline on the school
shooting fire.
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the Spring 1999 Daily Nebraskan. They
do not necessarily reflect the views of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its
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Neal’s
VIEW
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Unforgettable...
Dorm life makes permanent mark in college
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KASEY KERBER is a
senior nevos-editorial
major and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist.
Those of you who have seen my
mug shot this semester probably real
ize that most of the time there’s a res
idence hall-related column that goes
along with it.
That’s because I’m living out my
fourth year in the halls, three at Pound
and one at Harper.
But next year I’ll be saying good
bye to the dorms. There’s a nice one
bedroom apartment with my name on
it, and it has guaranteed parking, no
one blasting music a few doors down
and drinking a beer will actually be
legal again.
So, with perhaps my final column
as a DN columnist, I’d like to say
farewell to the residence halls_
Thanks for the good times,
whether they be with intramurals,
floor events, government events or
the entertaining cast of characters I
see on a daily basis.
No thanks for the
“Dorm/Residence Hall” argument.
Let me be the first to go on record
saying that I don’t give a damn what
you call it - a dorm or a residence
hall. One term isn’t right or wrong.
And taking the time to argue about it
shows that some students are using
their minds to debate an issue that
means as much to Joe Blow student
as the wrapper on a piece of Wrigley’s
gum.
Thanks to food service. Yes, you
read that right - food service.
Students give you nothing but grief,
despite the good things you try to do
for them. You never heard me com
plaining when you brought us special
dinners with fantail shrimp, crab legs,
sirloin steaks and prime rib. I regret
that you heard others doing it Just
know that there are some of us who
appreciate what you do - even if
we’re not as vocal as the ignorant
idiots who tnock your efforts simply
to get a laugh from their moronic
friends.
No thanks to those students who
are content to simply sit in their
rooms, playing video games or
watching TV, when local govern
ments and dorm organizations did
everything in their power to provide
events and activities for you. It’s a
damn shame when you can’t stop
playing “Rogue Squadron” long
enough to get off your butt and grab
some free ice cream and actually talk
with someone other than your floor
neighbors.
Thanks to maintenance workers
in the residence halls. Like food ser
vice employees, no one gives you the
respect I feel you deserve. You clean
our messes and come back the next
morning to do it again. It’s thankless
work that at least I’ll take the time to
thank you for. Also, a thank you to
Linda, my floor’s cleaning lady, who
said she would miss us kids when
we’re gone. You’re a sweetheart and
I’ll miss you as well.
I’ll miss... the feeling that some
thing was always happening in the
hall - whether it be activities, goofing
around by your friends and neigh
bors, half-naked vacuum races or
assassination games.
I won’t miss... trying to carry 40
pounds of groceries from eight
blocks away because I lost in “The
Parking Game.”
I’ll miss ... the cheap and far
from-nourishing food at the Pub,
which kept me going when Pepsi
vending machines fell flat
I won’t miss... staged fire drills,
real fire drills, staged tornado drills,
real tornado drills and walking down
10 flights of stairs every time they
have one.
I’ll remember ... each of our
winless intramural football seasons,
including the one where I threw four
interceptions and got us only two first
downs — one for when two defenders
pulled my pants down, and one for
when we got the opposing team to
jump offsides.
I’ll forget... the fights, the anger,
and the outcasting that has tom some
dorm friends apart. We’ve all seen it
happen, and when we live on the
same floor with those on both sides of
the fence, we can only wonder why.
I’ll remember... how good it felt
to be a part of a floor that stuck
together and formed some lasting '
friendships, f hope they will last
beyond the residence halls to the
future that lies ahead.
And, well, that’s it. I can say that
my time in the residence halls was an
enjoyable time - with few regrets.
Perhaps I could have bitched about
the bad things and filled this column
to the brim with complaints.
But I don’t regret the four years
lived within dorm walls. They provid
ed experiences that perhaps I never
could have known if I was fighting
with the neighbor’s dog at an apart
ment complex.
But everybody’s gotta go some
time and say goodbye to their past.
I guess that time has arrived. To
those just arriving in the dorms, 1
wish you the experiences I gladly
realized and won’t soon let go of.
It’s a time you, too, won’t forget.
PS. Write Back
^3ettd letters to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St., Lincoln,
NE 68588, or fax to{402) 472-1761, or e-mail <letters@unlinfo.unLedu.
Letters must be signed and include a phone number for verification
