Even after watching a wall of news reports about the tragedy at Fort Hood, I know very little. This is too big a jig saw puzzle to be fast-forced into comprehension. More hours have not created more understanding; in fact, despite the gaping freedom of wall to wall coverage, we were not enlightened with accuracy or detail. Military culture is self managed. Information was parsed and delivered as suited the officers and the command post. The media were left to regurgitate and extrapolate. CNN continuously took us on a tour of Fort Hood, because their magic screen lets them dolly in. It was filler until they had some facts to share. None came. They knew little. Twitter had few important details, because the Army locked down streams of dissemination. If there were accomplices, they were not to be assisted via electronics. We knew there was tragic carnage. Then we knew numbers, ascending. The shooter was dead. (5:30) Then alive (7:30). There were accomplices. (4:00) Suspected accomplices were released. (6:30) ABC and CNN identified him as a soldier with an Middle Eastern name. Fox hesitated to name the suspect until there was official confirmation. Then he was named: Malik Nadal Hasan. Then his name was changed: Nidal Malik Hasan. Conspiracy theories percolated.
The comments section on CNN's website filled with hateful anti Islam verbiage, despite the affirmation that he was a soldier. Subsequently, these comments were deleted, with journalistic efficiency. The editing resources could probably have been better used in the fact finding department, but the news outlets insist on providing a place for raging theorists. It's a service that I think we could all do without. Raging Americans need to learn to edit themselves. Or at least spell.
At dinner time, facts started to leak out. Pictures of the suspect. Interviews with his cousin. Little came from the military command. Unlike the networks, they were disciplined, and turned inward, doing their essential tasks. Casually, the bomb dropped that the suspect was alive. Larry King harumphed that it was not their error, and he was going to get to the bottom of the inaccuracy. He forgot that the Army takes care of its own first. The post commanders were not too concerned with programming CNN, Fox or the networks. Their mission was more basic: life and death. 70,000 residents of the compound deserved first consideration.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: Army, CNN, First Cavalry, Fort Hood killings, Nidal Malik Hassan, PTS
I am so grateful that I missed all of the balloon boy coverage and this story until after the events had taken place. The problem with 24 hour news programming is the amount of misinformation you have to endure as the tragedy unfolds.
Sadly this story came home as we found out that a young man from Bolingbrook was killed. He was 21. I have two grandsons who are 21 and they are both so very young. His mother is distraught and that says it all.
I stopped watching news programs over a year ago, too much hype, too much wall to wall coverage of events, too negative. I must say I do not miss watching the news at all, I think I am a much more postive person!