Halfway home, Lucy, to his surprise, speaks. ‘It was so personal,’ she says. ‘It was done with such personal hatred. That was what stunned me more than anything. The rest was … expected. But why did they hate me so? I had never set eyes on them.’ He waits for more, but there is no [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Crime'
Hatred and History – “Disgrace” – J.M. Coetzee
December 13th, 2011 · No Comments · Africa, African, Crime, Fiction, History, Literature, Revenge
There is no Profile – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 23rd, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Mental Illness, Sociology
A pair of government how-to guides helped. The FBI and the Secret Service each published reports in the first three years, guiding faculty to identify serious threats. The central recommendations contradicted prevailing post-Columbine behavior. They said identifying outcasts as threats is not healthy. It demonizes innocent kids who are already struggling. It is also unproductive. [...]
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Tags:crime·mass murder·mental illness·profiling
The Human Chain – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 23rd, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Journalism, Sociology, The Media
“What’s the human chain for?” a reporter asked. “To shield the students from you folk,” district spokesman Rick Kaufman said. Most media would be excluded. A small pool would be escorted in. Reporters were incredulous. One print reporter? The White House didn’t limit its pool that tightly. Reporters for the big national papers huddled in [...]
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Tags:crime·journalism·journalists·mass murder·media
Hearsay Accounts – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 23rd, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Journalism, Sociology, The Media
Initially, most witnesses refuted the emerging consensus. Nearly all described the killing as random. All the papers and the wire services produced a total of just four witnesses advancing the target theory Wednesday morning—each one contradicting his or her own description. Most of the papers advanced the theory with just one student who had actually [...]
Tags:attribution·crime·journalism·mass murder·media·myth·paradigm·sources
A Vicious Cycle – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 22nd, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Journalism, Sociology, The Media
Repetition was the problem. Only a handful of students mentioned the Trench Coat Mafia during the first five hours of CNN coverage—virtually all fed from local news stations. But reporters homed in on the idea. They were responsible about how they addressed the rumors, but blind to the impact of how often. Kids “knew” the [...]
Tags:crime·journalism·mass murder·media·myth
Myths – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 22nd, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Journalism, Newspapers, Sociology, The Media
We remember Columbine as a pair of outcast Goths from the Trench Coat Mafia snapping and tearing through their high school hunting down jocks to settle a long-running feud. Almost none of that happened. No Goths, no outcasts, nobody snapping. No targets, no feud, and no Trench Coat Mafia. Most of those elements existed at [...]
Tags:crime·journalism·journalists·mass murder·media·myth·newspapers
A Failed Bombing – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 22nd, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Journalism, Sociology, The Media
For investigators, the big bombs changed everything: the scale, the method, and the motive of the attack. Above all, it had been indiscriminate. Everyone was supposed to die. Columbine was fundamentally different from the other school shootings. It had not really been intended as a shooting at all. Primarily, it had been a bombing that [...]
Tags:crime·journalism·journalists·mass murder·media
Better Get a Lawyer – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 21st, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Parenting, Revenge, Sociology
The Harrises and Klebolds both hired attorneys. They had good reason: the presumption of guilt quickly landed on their shoulders. Investigators didn’t expect to charge them, but the public did. National polls taken shortly after the attack would identify all sorts of culprits contributing to the tragedy: violent movies, video games, Goth culture, lax gun [...]
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Tags:blame·crime·mass murder·mental illness·parenting·revenge
Myth Making – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 21st, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Journalism, Sociology, The Media
The narrative unfolding on television looked nothing like the killers’ plan. It looked only moderately like what was actually occurring. It would take months for investigators to piece together what had gone on inside. Motive would take longer to unravel. It would be years before the detective team would explain why. The public couldn’t wait [...]
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Tags:crime·journalism·journalists·mass murder·media·myth
Live Reporting – “Columbine” – Dave Cullen
November 21st, 2011 · No Comments · Crime, Journalism, Sociology, The Media
The boy described more commotion. “There’s a little bunch of people crying outside. I can hear them downstairs.” Something crashed. “Whoa!” The anchor gasped. “What was that?!” “I don’t know.” The anchors had enough. Her partner told him to hang up, keep quiet, and try to reach 911. “Keep trying to call them, OK?” The [...]
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Tags:crime·journalism·journalists·mass murder·media
