Parkland Shooting
On February 14th, 2018, there was a mass shooting at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As one of the world’s deadliest mass shootings, seventeen people were killed and seventeen injured. The crime was committed by a mentally unstable nineteen-year-old and former student. Serving as one of several school shootings to have occurred in 2018 alone, this event sparked national debates for gun control. As gun control is a highly-disputed topic, different news sources have covered this event in varying manners. The Parkland shooting was covered by Washington Post, The New Yorker and Time, all with a unique perspective. Each of the sources has something different to offer, allowing the audience to cultivate different opinions and perceptions.
The Washington Post focused its piece, entitled “Prosecutors will seek death penalty for Nikolas Cruz, Parkland shooting suspect” on the potential aftermath of the perpetrator. While the article takes a somewhat objective view by being extremely factual in the presentation of facts, they do compare the Parkland shooting to the shooting in Aurora, Colorado in which a death sentence was chosen. By comparing the sentencing of the criminal in Parkland to the one in Aurora, they are essentially conveying that they believe Nikolas Cruz should receive the same sentencing. The Washington Post included a quote from the Broward state attorney which stated they intended on proving the crime “was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel”. This statement indicates they believe harsh punishment, such as the death penalty, should ensue. The article does go as far to present the argument against the death penalty, but very briefly. The article ends with the comparison to the Colorado shooting, therefore implying their opinion. However, the article fails to cover the gun control debate and rather focuses on the outcome of Nikolas Cruz.
The New Yorker wrote a piece entitled “’We’re not your pawns’: Parkland never again movement meets the lawmakers”. This is less of an article, but more of story following the students fight for stricter gun control. The author uses descriptive imagery to help the reader understand the heartache the students endured and their motivation to make a change. The piece focuses on student Emma González’s personal fight and the impact on the community, including her devotion to the March for Our Lives. The story includes direct quotes from González, noting her frustration with congress. It is clear to comprehend the opinion of the New Yorker when including statements such as, “The students became increasingly adept at identifying political obfuscation: the congressman who might discuss “extensive background checks” rather than universal ones; the congresswoman who brings up mental illness to change the subject from gun control.” By using diction such as obfuscation when referring to politicians and gun control, it is evident that the piece presents itself as pro-gun control. In an effort to continue to show its support for gun control, the story touched on the helpfulness of Democratic politicians who are usually pro-gun control. The author included a quote from democratic congressman Joseph Kennedy, “Our children wake up every morning in a country where nearly a hundred lives will be lost to guns by the time they go to bed, and they hear a Republican Party say that that is the price of freedom”. The inclusion of this quote clearly delineates the article as pro-gun control and somewhat pro-democrat.
The Time article, entitled “Sheriff’s Office Had Received About 20 Calls Regarding Suspect: The Latest on the Florida School Shooting” speaks about the shooting in a very factual manner. However, after describing the events of the shootings, the article goes on to explain the FBI and police’s ignorance of clues about the perpetrator Nikolas Cruz. In 2017, the FBI was informed that someone made a comment on a YouTube channel stating they were going to be a school shooter. The FBI claimed they attempted to identify the person responsible but had no further information. A direct quote from the article states, “The username on the comment was “nikolas cruz.” This quote explains the articles view of the FBI as ineffectual when handling the case. The article also notes the numerous phone calls the sheriff office received over the years regarding Cruz. The author seems to be placing blame on authoritative forces for not taking a greater notice of dangerous indicators.
