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I’ve noticed three stages to the coverage of the senseless slaughters that are coming at us fast and furious. The first stage begins with the bulletin, and then details are rapidly fleshed out as reporters race to the scene and survivors with cell phones begin transmitting words and pictures. The second stage offers profiles of the victims, the killer, and the community. There will be a story on how easily the killer came by his arms; another will wonder what made him do it. As for the third stage, it looks like this:
“Healing efforts continue on NIU campus” (WLS TV home page, February 16)
The killings at the Kirkwood, Missouri, city hall occurred on February 7, the ones in an NIU lecture hall on February 14. Please note that two days later, WLS was reporting not that the healing had begun but that it was continuing.
