Journalism links us to this terrible incident and the issues embedded within it. The reports from Colorado, sometimes jarringly instantaneous and sometimes painfully slow, gave us pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. While our natural desire is for hard facts, objective truth, and clear meaning, the reality is much different. Facts are often contradictory in the chaos. Truth emerges slowly, over time, and seldom with finality.
Meaning is elusive and strongly reflects differing personal beliefs.
But, none of that should allow journalists and their news organizations to sidestep professional responsibility. To be sure, there were elements of the news coverage that measured up well. There were powerfully written accounts of the heroism of teachers and students amid the terror in the hallways and classrooms of Columbine High. There were compelling, compassionate interviews with students and parents that, while inescapably intrusive, were respectful and meaningful. There were thoughtfully crafted stories exploring the intolerance of differences and the consequences that occur, issues that extend to virtually every community in our nation.