Virginia Tech Coverage Day 2

April 18, 2007

Cali Carlin HAD to report on the sadness at Virginia Tech and how students are coping. Her report was a tough way for high school students to start their school day. Even if students are wanting not to think about the murders, Channel One News won’t let them. More coverage is planned for tomorrow.

From Jim Metrock:

Channel One went ahead today and aired a long lead story on the tragedy at Virginia Tech. They were "on location" with their reporter Cali Carlin. We should be grateful that Channel One decided to only air this story in high schools.

In my email to Judy Harris I asked her to not air any Virginia Tech stories in middle schools. For the first time that I know of Channel One sent out two different news shows to middle and high schools. Only high schools saw the Virginia Tech story this morning. Would Channel One have done this on their own?

Sadly, no, they would not have.

I say that because of what happened yesterday. They lead off their middle school broadcast telling students that a gunman had killed more than 30 people. How stupid and insensitive was that? The talking head that read those lines off the teleprompter was Andrew Marquardt a light-weight wannabe reporter that doesn’t have enough life experience, or younger brothers or sisters, to realize those lines should not be read to Channel One’s middle schools.

Channel One made a bad mistake on Tuesday and our request for compassion made their Wednesday show less of a mistake.

I don’t want to imagine what Channel One News would be like today, if Obligation did not exist. Over the years we have helped Channel One clean up their act.

Channel One executives thought chat rooms for preteens was a super idea. Channel One’s chat rooms allowed children to create private rooms where they could talk with anonymous Internet users. Obligation pressured Channel One to shut down their dangerous chat rooms.

Channel One executives thought that kids should have their own personal ads on the Internet. You may think I am making this up. I wish I was. They actually called this feature on their web site message board "Personal Ads" – no joke. These are not the smartest people in our country. Obligation put pressure on Channel One and they ended the ads before anyone got hurt.

Channel One allowed web site postings that discussed self-mutilation. Obligation stopped that too.

Channel One wanted children to post their picture on their web site with some personal information about themselves so everyone on the Internet could check them out. After I called a principal in Brentwood, TN and told him about Channel One’s creepy "Fresh Faces" site that featured one of his students, Channel One pulled the plug on posting children’s pictures on the Web. (Letter to Ernie Allen) (Largest Protestant Denomination Opposes Channel One News)

Channel One used to review R-rated movies for children. "Pulp Fiction" "How To Be A Player" and a long list of ultra-violent, ultra-sexual movies. Channel One urged children to write their own reviews of R-rated movies. Obligation went public with this and Channel One was forced to take down the movie reviews. You might be beginning to see why the handful of people who remain at Channel One News don’t like Obligation.

Take time to explore our news archives to understand Channel One News. You will see why the vast majority of secondary schools in the U.S. don’t allow this program in their classrooms.

Channel One has to be constantly monitored. They are in it for the money, not for the kids. They will push the envelope – they always have. Let’s hope they will stop reporting about the Virginia Tech shootings. Nobody wants a copycat incident in a middle school or high school.

***PLEASE NOTE, THIS VERSION OF OUR SHOW WAS VIEWED ONLY BY CHANNEL ONE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOMS***

IN TODAY’S SHOW

VA TECH SHOOTING: THE DAY AFTER
ONE VOICE: SCHOOL UNIFROM DEBATE
ONE STEP: RUNNING FORM

HELLOS

MEKA: HI EVERYBODY. WELCOME TO CHANNEL ONE. I’M MEKA NICHOLS. WE BEGIN TODAY’S SHOW WITH A REPORT ON THE TRAGIC EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THE CAMPUS OF VIRGINIA TECH ON MONDAY. OUR FOCUS: HOW THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY ARE COMING TOGETHER TO COPE. CALI CARLIN IS ON THE CAMPUS AND JOINS US NOW.

INTRO VA TECH: THE DAY AFTER

CALI: HEY MEKA, I’M HERE AT VIRGINIA TECH IN BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA WHERE THE ENTIRE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY ARE MOURNING THIS TRAGIC LOSS.

SHOOTING AT VA TECH: THE DAY AFTER

JONNATHON HESS: IT’S SHOCKING, YOU WOULD NEVER THINK THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN HERE.

CALI: UNFORTUNATELY, AFTER MONDAY’S TRAGIC SHOOTINGS, SHOCK AND LOSS IS SOMETHING EVERYONE HERE IS HAVING TO FACE.

JONNATHAN HESS: IT AIN’T WHAT NOBODY SAYS. IT’S THE LOOKS ON EVERYBODY’S FACE THAT SAYS IT ALL.

CALI: IT’S IN THOSE FACES YOU CAN SEE THE PAIN, AND HOW EVERYONE HANDLES GRIEF DIFFERENTLY.

CALI: WHETHER THEY ARE SITTING PONDERING THE DAY ALONE…

CALI: LOOKING FOR COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING IN THE ARMS OF A FRIEND…

CALI: OR VISITING A MEMORIAL TO THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES.

BRANDON STINTENTER: I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD COME IN AND MOURN TOGETHER.

CALI: BRANDON AND HIS FRIENDS MADE THIS MEMORIAL SO PEOPLE HAD A PLACE TO GO.

CALI: THEY ARE THE LETTERS V.T. COVERED WITH NOTES OF LOVE AND SUPPORT.

TERRY HOYNE, 19: EVERYONE’S REALLY SAD, BUT I MEAN WE’RE ALL TRYING TO BE STRONG AND HAVE HOPE.

CALI: TO SHOW THAT STRENGTH STUDENTS COVERED IN SCHOOL COLORS OVERFLOWED INTO A CONVOCATION WHICH PRESIDENT BUSH ATTENDED TO LET THEM KNOW THAT AMERICA IS THERE FOR THEM.

PRESIDENT BUSH: THIS IS A DAY OF MOURNING FOR THE VIRGINIA TECH COMMUNITY — AND IT IS A DAY OF SADNESS FOR OUR ENTIRE NATION.

CALI: ALSO THERE WAS AWARD-WINNING POET, NIKKI GIOVANNI, WHO TEACHES AT THE UNIVERSITY AND GAVE OFF A RALLY CALL.

NIKKI GIOVANNI: WE ARE THE HOKIES. WE WILL PREVAIL, WE WILL PREVAIL, WE WILL PREVAIL. WE ARE VIRGINIA TECH.

CALI: BUT THE RALLY CALL WAS ALREADY BEING LED BY THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES.

CALI: EVEN AS SOME ARE CRITICIZING THE SCHOOL FOR HOW THEY RESPONDED, STUDENTS ARE UNITED IN SUPPORTING THEIR LEADERS

SARAH YOON: I THINK OUR PRESIDENT AND OUR AUTHORITIES ARE DOING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN AND I REALLY FEEL LIKE THINK EVERYONE IN THE STUDENT BODY IS COMING TOGETHER AS ONE BIG COMMUNITY. AND JUST, BEING TOGETHER RIGHT NOW IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

CALI: TOGETHERNESS HAS HELPED ROOMMATES REEGAN AND ALLYCE WHO LIVED IN THE DORM WHERE THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED.

REEGEN EYLER: IT HELPED HAVING LIKE PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING.

CALI: LIKE MANY STUDENTS IN THEIR HALL THEY’RE LEAVING THE DORM FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

REEGAN EYLER, FRESHMAN: WE’RE GOING TO GO HOME FOR A WEEK AND TRY AND RECOVER AND EVERYTHING AND THEN I GUESS, SEE WHAT THE SCHOOL SAYS AND TRY TO FINISH OUT THE YEAR. I MEAN, I’M DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO LEAVE VIRGINIA TECH OR ANYTHING OVER THIS.

CALI: EVERYONE I SPOKE WITH TOLD ME THEY’RE STAYING ENROLLED HERE.

TERRY HOYNE, 19: I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT LEAVE THIS IS A GREAT SCHOOL AND I DON’T THING ANYBODY WOULD THINK ABOUT LEAVING OR WANT TO LEAVE AT ALL. THAT’S JUST NOT WHAT VIRGINIA TECH IS.

CALI: WHAT VIRGINIA TECH IS, IS SHOWING THROUGH IN THESE TRYING DAYS AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE TESTED AS THE STUDENTS AND STAFF MOVE BEYOND THIS TRAGEDY.

NICOLE MCGRAIL, 18: I’M HOPING YOU KNOW WITHIN TIME THINGS HEAL AND PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK PAST THIS AS JUST A ONE TIME THING AND THIS IS NOT GOING TO AFFECT US AS A SCHOOL IN GENERAL.

MICHAEL SALVATORE, 21: I’M JUST GOING TO LEAN ON THE GUYS YOU SEE BEHIND ME, WEARING LETTERS, ALL MY CLOSE FRIENDS. I THINK THE BIGGEST WAY I’M GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS IS WITH A GROUP. I THINK THAT’S HOW THE SCHOOL IS GOING TO DO IT. WE’RE GOING TO LOOK TO EACH OTHER, KIND OF LOOK FOR COMFORT WITH EACH OTHER.

OUTRO SHOOTING AT VA TECH: THE DAY AFTER

CALI: AND YOU DEFINITELY GET THE SENSE THAT THIS IS A STRONG COMMUNITY AND THAT THEY ARE REALLY RELYING ON ONE ANOTHER TO LIFT EACH OTHER UP AND TO HELP MOVE FORWARD. THEY’RE DOING THAT IN A VARIETY OF WAYS. ONE OF WHICH IS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES. WE’LL BRING YOU THAT STORY TOMORROW … FOR NOW, BACK TO YOU MEKA.