They weren't glib, but they were savvy. One Santana student, John Schardt, got more airtime than any other. With gelled, spiky hair on top of a contemplative, serious face, he made the perfect teen media rep. He was assiduous, with complete sentences and a clear understanding of the meta-themes that invariably issue from school shooting stories. An archive of greatest hits.
People respond differently to beratement.
But it happened here. Even the TV anchor left that one alone. Over the next couple of hours, the story evolved into something a little more recognizable. The CNN footage started to include shots of weeping and hugging on the school campus. One girl cried during an interview.