Information Skills for the 24/7 News Cycle Age: An Analysis of the Reporting of #theatershooting

[TalkingDog]

http://geekreflection.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-information-skills-for-247-news.html

As I walked into the living room, the TV was already on a national news channel piecing together information and trying to put some meaning or reason upon the chaos. There were very few details at that point and within about 30 minutes the repeat of information made it clear that all of the essential data that the news had, I had absorbed. One hour later (Note: I am in a house full of people watching the news -- my inclination would have been to change the channel -- "0" on Feeling according to the Myers-Briggs), only one new piece of information was being reported:

the mother of the suspect had said to ABC news, "You have the right person. I need to call the police. I need to fly to Colorado," (exact words from Mercury News).

When the mother's statement was released, a careful caveat was given, namely that the statement a) could have been nothing more than confirming a name, b) could be that statement of a person in shock or coping with overwhelming information (certainly), c) did not imply much of anything on face.

snip

A few hours later, the mother's same statement was being picked apart by multiple retired profilers, three news analysts, and a supplemental scroll of social media commentary along the bottom of the screen. One expert went so far as explain that this mother's statement along with the incident itself was enough to show that there would probably have been indications of psychopathic tendencies demonstrated as early as age 5 (I added the emphasis) - so much for those caveats, neh?

[monmouth]

1. I notice DU is following a similar loop. Other stuff is happening, we have the info..n/t

[Duer 157099]

2. I thought about that too

I was disturbed to see that the first reaction was *not* that she was confirming the identity, but was affirming that her son was indeed capable of what happened.

She may have been, but for that to be the first interpretation? Shit.