Virginia Tech: How Media Are Evolving
description: April 17th, 2007 by Dan Gillmor (Note: This will appear tomorrow as an op-ed piece in the Washington Examiner newspaper.) Once again, horror has given us a glimpse of our media future: simultaneously conversational and distributed, mass and personal. The killings Monday at Virginia Tech brought to the forefront the remarkable evolution in media over the past few years. And as we move into a time in which we will be saturated with data, we need to be clear on some of the implications of democratized media. We've had any number of glimpses already in this new century. On Sept. 11, 2001, we read blog postings and watched citizen videos of planes smashing into the World Trade Center towers. During the Asian tsunami, tourist videos showed waves smashing onto shores. A man in the London underground, wielding a mobile phone camera, took the image we all remember best from that day. The scope of the media shift was clearer again on Monday. Some of the most widely viewed images came from a mobile phone camera aimed at the police response by a student, Jamal Albaughouti. His video made its way to CNN and other media, and was seen by millions. But others on and off the Blacksburg, Va., campus were also using conversational media in highly visible ways. Social network communications, blog postings, email and a host of other technologies were brought to bear by people who were directly and indirectly part of this huge event. The students' words were achingly poignant. They were straight from the source, not pushed through a traditional-media funnel as they'd have been in the not-so-distant past. They brought to mind a blog post I spotted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by a young man in Brooklyn, N.Y., across the river from the World Trade Center. He wrote, "Now I know what a burning city smells like." The democratization of media is not just about creation, though that has been the most notable aspect so far. Putting the tools into everyone's hands has produced an explosio…
creator: Dan Gillmor
date: 2007-06-12
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
language: eng

Virginia Tech: It's Not About Gun Control, and You're a Fool or a Monster If You Say It Is
description: Apr. 18th, 2007 at 12:02 AM Virginia is, if memory serves, one of the states that had a particularly malevolently horrible 2004 national election, one marked by substantial Republican chicanery and vicious suppression of the minority vote, so the last thing on earth that I could ever have imagined myself doing was cheering for Virginia's Republican governor, Tim Kaine. But Tuesday afternoon I not only cheered out loud over something he said, I was so glad he said it that I was waving my fist over my head and very nearly jumped out of my chair. And it wasn't just what he said, but how he said it; I wish I could find a way to show it to you. But at the end of the Tuesday press conference, some sleazebag in the audience, knowing how pro-gun Kaine is, tossed him what he probably thought was a softball question, namely, did the governor think that some of the deaths could have been averted if Virginia Polytechnic students had been allowed to carry concealed firearms on campus? Instead of the reaction the so-called "reporter" was expecting, what happened was that governor Kaine's face twisted up as if he had bitten into a bug. And with disgust dripping from his voice, he said something to the effect that the only response he had to anybody who would try to use this tragedy to make any kind of a point about gun control was "total loathing." And he's right. So I don't feel good that I've let some of you prod me into having to defend my statement from last night that neither more guns on campus, nor fewer guns, would have made things any better. That some of y'all are sliming up this horrible but essentially random tragedy, that some of you are dragging your muddy political bootprints all over this while the corpses aren't even yet in the ground, that so many of you are so sick as to seek to twist this massacre into proof that your side should win in the literally pointless debate over gun control before even one family can bury their dead in peace, both sickens me and lower…
creator: J. Brad Hicks
date: 2007-05-24
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution, NonCommercial, ShareAlike 2.5
language: eng

Virginia Tech: Laying The Blame
description: Karen Harper 22 Apr 2007 There will be a lot of blame dished out in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre. But one element will be missing and that is the system itself. Capitalism and the society it nurtures will remain unscathed in the big business press. In the aftermath of another school shooting in the US, many will be asking why and some will be trying to lay blame. The shooter's parents will be blamed for how they raised him; the school will be blamed for how it dealt with his mental illness; and his schoolmates past and present will be blamed for how they teased and ostracized him. However, the blame will mostly not be laid where it appropriately belongs; on the head of capitalism and the social values that it has nourished. No individual can be looked at out of context of the larger society, and this young man and what he became cannot be understood without first looking at the society he came from. Unfortunately, the "angry loner" type that has done these sorts of shootings in the past is not the product of an isolated genetic mutation that happens unpredictably and that cannot be prevented. Such people are a real product of their environment and the direct result of capitalism's impact on personal development and mental health. This society promotes individuality, self-absorption, and competition over solidarity and collective struggle. Is it any surprise that some young people are so incapable of not only identifying with the group and its larger good, but also of even, in severe cases, forming any kind of meaningful relationship with another individual? These people after years of painful experiences can come to the conclusion that they are completely unloved and unlovable. Because we are social beings, this conclusion makes life difficult to continue. Capitalism is daily bombarding our self-esteem; we are never good enough under capitalism. There is always some drug to make us happier, some surgery to make us thinner, some car or house or job tha…
creator: Karen Harper
date: 2007-06-10
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication
language: eng

Virginia Tech: Los hechos a centímetros de distancia
description: Publicado por Jose Kaulen C. 19th Abril 2007 Collin Goddard estuvo a centímetros de Cho Seung-Hui durante la masacre del lunes, y escuchó cómo el asesino terminaba con su vida después de haber matado a 30 personas, dice su madre. Después de que las balas fueron disparadas a su alrededor dentro de la sala de Norris Hall, Goddard, un estudiante de 21 años de Estudios Internacionales, jugó con la muerte tal como Cho, dice su madre, Ann Goddard. Esto lo contaba mientras su hijo herido estaba en una cirugía. La terrible experiencia de Goddard comenzó durante su clase de Francés, cuando él y sus compañeros escucharon los disparos desde la entrada. La profesora Jocelyne Couture-Nowak dijo a sus alumnos que llamaran al 911, solo segundos antes de que Cho entrara a la sala y comenzara con la balacera, hiriendo a Goddard en la pierna. "Cho primero fue a través de la primera fila y comenzó a disparar aleatoriamente" dijo. Cho abandonó la sala y regresó momentos después. Colin estaba tendido en el piso de la sala, enfrentándose a la muerte cuando "Él giró la cabeza y vió los zapatos del atacante viniendo hacia su cuerpo". "El atacante estuvo parado junto a él", dice la madre. "Él estaba totalmente asustado de morir", dice, "mantuvo la inteligencia en todo momento, pero estaba muy asustado de morir". El atacante disparó otra vez contra Colin, alcanzádolo en el hombro y en una nalga. Después caminó hacia el frente de la sala, explica Ann. Dos disparos fueron seguidos de silencio. La policía rompió ese silencio gritando "shooter down!, black tag!" ha dicho Goddard, lo que aparentemente son códigos policiales indicando muertes en el lugar. Los policías revisaron los cuerpos en la sala de clases. Couture-Nowak no sobrevivió. Mientras los cirujanos trabajan para curar a su hijo, Goddard dice que ella nunca hubiera querido que la tragedia hubiera sucedido en un momento "de definición en la vida de mi hijo", refiriéndose al último semestre en la carre…
creator: Jose Kaulen C.
date: 2007-08-09
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
language: spa

Virginia Tech: The Challenge of Instant Communication in a Crisis
description: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 I have been percolating some ideas about how to better integrate technology into a crisis plan I am currently working on. My work with the Red Cross over the years has sharpened my senses and I do have some idea of how to successfully communicate during a crisis. However, this week's events at Virginia Tech have given me some further ideas. I don't want to start getting clinical about this before I say that I am deeply moved by the tragedy this week. Having lived in Virginia for many years I feel close to the tragedy, and moreover, because we have a dear friend who is a professor in the engineering department in V-Tech. I heard from him Tuesday night and am grateful that both he and his freshman daughter are okay. That expressed, there are many lessons to start learning, especially as we prepare for the unexpected and communicating to large groups in crisis. There was a great story in the Wall Street Journal today that (registration req.) discussed the use of disseminating information via texting in a crisis. I have pulled some of the information about services from that article. My main takeaway from this event is the need for redundancy of communication. There need to be both high and low tech layers of communication to be most effective. First and foremost, an organization has to have a strategy to get in touch with all of the stakeholders and employees that need to be reached. A good start is a list of employee cell phones and home phone numbers that are ready to use in an emergency, as well as emergency contacts. Having a crisis communication plan is essential to get the most out of our communications, but here is an incomplete checklist of tactics to consider: High Tech Strategies Have a service set up to send instant text messaging (SMS), one such service is run by Omnilert and costs about $9,000 per year, another for schools is and opt in service run by Mobile Campus Set up redundancy in the servers to handle any increased load Set …
creator: Kami Huyse
date: 2007-06-19
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License
language: eng

Virginia Tech: un análisis ideoléxico de una tragedia
description: Publicado por Jorge Majfud viernes, abril 20, 2007 La mayoría de las medicinas que se venden en forma de píldoras, recubren una determinada droga, químico o compuesto con una capa de color atractivo y gusto dulce. En español, la sabiduría popular usa esta particularidad para construir una metáfora: "tragarse la píldora" tiene una connotación negativa y expresa la acción de consumir una cosa con la forma o el gusto de otra. Es decir, creer o aceptar una verdad como hecho incuestionable sin ser conscientes de las verdaderas implicaciones. En la tradición literaria, este fenómeno epistemológico se entendía con la metáfora del caballo de Troya, también usado hoy en día para designar virus informáticos. Un ideoléxico puede entenderse como una pastilla que el discurso hegemónico prescribe e impone con seductora violencia. Por ejemplo, el ideoléxico libertad viene recubierto de una plétora de lugares comunes y dulcemente positivos (la libertad, como precepto universal lo es). Sin embargo, dentro de este recubrimiento dulce y brillante se esconden las verdaderas razones de las acciones: la dominación, la opresión, la violencia de los intereses sectarios, etc. El recubrimiento dulce y brillante anula la percepción se sus opuestos: el contenido amargo y opaco. La tarea del crítico consiste en romper la envoltura, en des-cubrir, en des-velar el contenido de la píldora, del ideoléxico. Claro que esta tarea tiene resultados amargos, como el centro de la píldora. Los adictos a una droga no renunciarán a ella sólo porque alguien descubra las graves implicaciones de su confort momentáneo. De hecho, se resistirán a esta operación de exposición. Analicemos un ideoléxico común en el discurso dominante del capitalismo tardío: la responsabilidad personal. De entrada vemos que su cobertura es del todo dulce y brillante. ¿Quién sería capaz de discutir el valor de la responsabilidad de cada individuo? Un posible cuestionamiento sería rápidamente an…
creator: Jorge Majfud
date: 2007-08-06
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 2.5 España
language: spa

Virginia_Tech_massacre_candlelight_vigil
description: A panoramic shot taken at the Virginia Tech candlelight vigil. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:2007_Virginia_Tech_massacre_candlelight_vigil_4.jpg/ This file has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its author, anonymous. This applies worldwide.
creator: Shi Zhao
date: 2007-05-29
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:2007_Virginia_Tech_massacre_candlelight_vigil_4.jpg This file has been (or is hereby) released into the public domain by its author, anonymous. This applies worldwide.
language: eng

VirginiaTech: 32 muertos, 4.3 millones de cómplices y 6.000 millones de víctimas
description: Creado por Santiago Bustelo April 17th, 2007 La masacre estudiantil en Virginia Tech ocurrida ayer (lunes 16 de abril de 2007) ha vuelto a instalar la discusión de algunos de los valores de la sociedad norteamericana y del resto del mundo... de una manera tan estéril como en ocasiones anteriores. Los cómplices, o el lado correcto de la mira En el tema de la regulación de armas, las opiniones en Norteamérica son opuestas. Básicamente, porque dependen de qué lado de la mira esté -o crea estar- quien opina. La Asociación del Rifle Americano (NRA) cuenta con 4.3 millones de miembros, lo que la convierte en la ONG más grande del mundo. En esta ocasión, al igual que en todos los casos anteriores, sus miembros y autoridades están preparados a expresar sus condolencias... y a dejar claro que no creen que la facilidad con la que se pueden conseguir en EE.UU. armas diseñadas para matar a una gran cantidad de gente en poco tiempo y con un mínimo esfuerzo, tenga algo que ver con que alguien haya decidido -nuevamente- ponerlo en práctica. Claro que no sólo en EE.UU. ocurren masacres de este tipo. En el resto del mundo, cada tanto algún Don Nadie se siente inspirado por quienes pasaron a la historia atentando gratuitamente contra la vida de los demás. Que las armas no estén al alcance de cualquiera, impide a la mayoría pasar a la acción. En el caso de la masacre estudiantil de Carmen de Patagones, Argentina, el perpetrador era el hijo de un policía: le bastó con abrir un cajón para pasar a los hechos. Los miembros de la NRA creen que portar armas garantiza su seguridad personal. O sea, que tener un arma les asegura mágicamente estar del lado correcto de la mira, y que otros no los consideren como un blanco posible. Mientras que la realidad es que en el momento en que alguien nos está apuntando, tener un arma (descargada y prolijamente guardada en un lugar seguro para evitar que nuestros hijos se vuelen la cabeza por accidente), difícilmente haga una dif…
creator: Santiago Bustelo
date: 2007-07-30
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 2.5 Argentina
language: spa

Viuda estudiante muerto pide paz
description: Por Jesús Dávila Corresponsal Publicado el 04-23-2007 San Juan — El féretro con los restos del ingeniero Juan Ramón Ortiz, muerto en la masacre de virginia tech el pasado día 16, fue transportado ayer sábado a Puerto Rico, pero su viuda, Lizelle Vega, y demás familiares pidieron a la prensa que les dejen en paz para poder comenzar el "proceso de sanación" luego de la tragedia. Vega hizo el llamado en una rueda de prensa en la que indicó que el velorio será en una funeraria de Bayamón, ciudad natal de su esposo, y el entierro tendrá lugar el martes en el cementerio católico Porta Coeli, del mismo municipio. La también ingeniero, quien junto a su esposo cursaba estudios avanzados en la universidad de Virginia, expresó agradecimiento para todos los que le han apoyado ante el dolor -tanto en Virginia como en Puerto Rico- además de hacer reconocimiento de la labor que han realizado los medios noticiosos. Pero, pidió que durante los próximos días se permita a la familia su espacio de intimidad y que no se hagan entrevistas en la funeraria o el cementerio. El pedido de Vega coincide con las instrucciones emitidas por la dirección de virginia tech de que a partir del lunes estará prohibido que los reporteros o fotógrafos entren a los edificios universitarios ni camiones de transmisión televisada podrán estar en el campus para dar espacio a que comience "el proceso de sanación". Las instrucciones especifican además que cualquier pedido de entrevistas a personas en el campus universitario respete los sentimientos de las personas. Vega dijo que no quería hacer declaraciones sobre lo que pasó y que sólo quería limitarse a recordar a su marido por su alegría. Sobre su futuro, indicó que todavía no ha tomado una decisión pero especificó claramente que no piensa demandar a la universidad, ni ahora, ni nunca. Entre las alternativas que ha ofrecido la universidad a los estudiantes afectados por la masacre está obtener la nota de fin de semestre …
creator: Jesús Dávila
date: 2007-08-13
contributor: Elva Orozco
rights: Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August, 13 2007
language: spa

VT
description: It was a tragic day for everyone the day of the shootings on Virginia Tech. I remember coming home and being told that something was going on at Tech. I got worried because I knew so many people who were going there. I had been the campus a number of times because of track and when they were showing the locations of where the shooting took place I recognized it and almost felt as if I was there. I did not know anyone that was hurt or killed but many of them had lived in the area I grew up in. It was a very emotional day and I did not know what to think. I was hardly able to keep my eyes off of the TV and hearing that the death toll was going up I had to stop. I will admit I was afraid that someone I knew would come up but fortunately they did not. I felt for all the families and friends of the victims and even I find it hard to forgive the shooter but I know that we are all strong and will be able to. My heart and prayers go out to the VT community.
creator: Jenni Scolese
date: 2007-04-28
contributor: Jenni Scolese
language: eng

VT aftermath continues; SU reflects with speak out
description: By: A.J. Donatoni Posted: 4/26/07 Seung-Hui Cho took the lives of 32 Virginia Tech students and faculty in a senseless act of violence April 16. On Wednesday, 32 Syracuse University students and area residents came together in the Panasci Lounge at the Schine Student Center to participate in the Speak Out Against Violence in response to that act. The speak out, sponsored by the Greek Council and the Student Association, was a forum designed to commemorate the victims of the shootings and give those in attendance a chance to voice their opinions on what occurred that morning. One by one, several participants walked up to the podium located at the back of the lounge and addressed the rest of the group by either sharing a personal experience or simply giving their perspective on what transpired on the campus of Virginia Tech. Senior Amanda Torres helped organize the Speak Out and has coordinated several events around the campus in honor of the Virginia Tech community. "When I was in high school, 9/11 happened and I was going to school in New York City," said Torres, entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major. "That's the reason why I decided to become in involved in this." Torres spoke of her own personal experience in New York City when the World Trade Center was attacked but said that the shootings had a similar feel to them, which motivated her to do whatever she could to help out. "I was watching it on the big screen in Schine, and I stood there in disbelief, like I couldn't believe this was happening at a college that was comparable in size to us," said Torres of the shootings. "I can't imagine the fear that was going through the families and friends there." Junior Jacqueline Cho said the shootings touched her personally because she is Asian American. Because she shares the same last name of the shooter - Cho - she said the events have affected her on a deeper level. "My sister lives in London, and the day after it happened, when she went to work, she got bac…
creator: A.J. Donatoni
publisher: The Daily Orange
date: 2007-08-23
contributor: Sara Hood
rights: Peter Waack <pwaack@dailyorange.com>
language: eng

VT Balloon Release
description: A reflection of the balloon ceremony that was held on the first day of class. Orginial Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spector1/sets/72157600104116028/ Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta
creator: Roger Gupta
date: 2007-07-12
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission: Roger Gupta http://www.flickr.com/photos/spector1/sets/72157600104116028/
language: eng

VT Balloon Release 4/23/07
description: A ceremony held on the first day of class after the tragedy in which balloons were released in remembrance of the 32 victims. Orginial Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spector1/sets/72157600104116028/ Photo courtesy of Roger Gupta
creator: Roger Gupta
date: 2007-07-12
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission: Roger Gupta http://www.flickr.com/photos/spector1/sets/72157600104116028/
language: eng

VT by the Tree
description: What started as a simple VT leaning by a tree became a major focal point of reflection. President Bush signed this VT and a shelter was placed around the VT and other memorabilia. Taken Saturday 21 April.
creator: Patrick Hogeboom
date: 2007-04-26
contributor: Patrick Hogeboom
language: eng

VT Candlelight Vigil 4/16/08
description: Candlelight vigil held on one year anniversary of 4/16. On the drillfield with Burruss Hall in background. Photo by Roger Gupta. -- Original Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spector1/2419674035/
creator: Roger Gupta
date: 2008-04-18
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: Roger Gupta <ragupta@vt.edu>
language: eng

VT Daisies (Redux)
description: After April 16, plastic daisies have regularly been laid down at various places on the drillfield in the shape of the VT logo, near the temporary memorial in front of Burruss Hall. This photo was taken on Thursday, June 14. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-06-17
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

VT Drillfield Memorial 4/20/07
description: A message board from the Drillfield Memorial. Photo by Roger Gupta. -- Original Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spector1/467361779/in/set-72157600104116028/
creator: Roger Gupta
date: 2008-04-07
contributor: Kacey Beddoes
rights: "Gupta, Roger" <ragupta@vt.edu>
language: eng

VT Flowers
description: VT flowers on the drillfield near the Burruss memorial. Photo taken Friday, April 20.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2007-04-26
contributor: Brent Jesiek
language: eng

VT for NIU
description: Prior to Virginia Tech's candelight vigil for NIU, an attendee signs a message board on display along alumni mall. Photo taken Monday, February 18, 2008. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
creator: Brent Jesiek
date: 2008-02-18
contributor: Brent Jesiek
rights: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
language: eng

VT Hokies
description: All eight placards sent by UVA Students in support of Virginia Tech now displayed in Squires Student Center Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/killfile/499326674/in/set-72157600298230023/ Photo Courtesy of Chris Thomas
creator: Chris Thomas
date: 2007-06-08
contributor: Chad Newswander
rights: Permission: Chris Thomas http://www.flickr.com/photos/killfile/499326674/in/set-72157600298230023/
language: eng