I wish journalists would cover more about how survivors of mass murderers

[raccoon]

I wish journalists would cover more about how survivors of mass murderers And their families are doing after some time has passed after the murders.

I know that sometimes they do, and if any of y’all got any links please post them. But I wish it were done more.

For instance, Jason Coffman, whose son Cody Coffman was murdered by the Thousand Oaks killer. I would like to know how the family is doing after some time has passed. I wish them all the best.

[lostnfound]

1. I agree. They are eye opening and not covered enough

Individual stories are occasionally covered, and then very rarely there are stories about the topic in general, but I wish followup stories would become more routine than the empty “thoughts and prayers” habit.

I read a lengthy article— in the Washington Post, I think — about how a few survivors from the Las Vegas massacre were faring. A middle aged woman with a teenage daughter was in the hospital still, a year after bullets in her abdomen. Multiple surgeries and complications have robbed her whole family of a normal life. The dad works all day to keep his health insurance and pay the bills and then spends long nights at the hospital. The daughter tries to bring her mom a smoothie, but the mom can’t keep it down. Depression is a constant challenge.

The massive cost of these horrors is not totaled, not analyzed, not discussed, and probably far higher than we imagine.

The “This is my lane” hashtag shows that there’s an entire stream of doctors’ experience which has really not been publicized. Billions of words are thrown around in a “2nd amendment” discussion as if it was a purely philosophical exercise, while the voices of our fellow citizens who live inside of this experience — knee-deep in blood in the emergency room, raising kids whose parent is hospitalized or dead, helping a newly paralyzed person adapt psychologically and physically — are rarely heard. These voices belong to people who are so busy it is hard for them to take time to be heard, but their experiences are more important than any other voices in the gun debate.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. This one about a Sandy Hook family is fucking devastating.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/after-newtown-shooting-mourning-parents-enter-into-the-lonely-quiet/2013/06/08/0235a882-cd32-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html?utm_term=.c3d9aab16596

[raccoon]

4. Thanks for that link. Great article, and so sad. nt

[WillowTree]

3. There's an excellent documentary on Netflix that follows some of the Newtown families.

It's simply called "Newtown" and these people are so strong and have such beautiful hearts and souls. It's really worth watching.