Cases of Tragedies around the World
Case #2: Hazing at Baruch College in New York
Summary: 2 years ago, during a hazing ritual for Pi Delta Psi (a fraternity at Baruch College), Chun Deng was forced to cross a frozen yard blindfolded, while carrying a bag full of sand. As if this wasn't enough, while he was doing this, his fraternity members tackled him multiple times, leading to Chun losing consciousness and eventually dying. His fraternity mates are directly responsible for his death, since they tackled him and postponed seeking medical attention when he passed out. 4 members are now waiting for their fate to be read to them, according to the New York Times.
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Level of Attention: Gained attention on mostly smaller news outlets, had some articles on sites such as CNN and CBS news, and even had a small spotlight on NBC Nightly News.
Case #1: Hazing at Penn State University
Summary: Tim Piazza, a sophomore fraternity pledge at Penn State, died as a result of hazing from his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. Despite the fraternity being supposedly alcohol-free, Piazza was given 18 drinks within 82 minutes, making him very drunk, leading to him falling down the stairs and passing out. The fraternity postponed getting medical attention for him, leading to his death. (courtesy of CNN)
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Level of Attention: This story was front and center on all of the major morning news channels when it happened, and updates are still broadcast on TV, where a lot of people get their news. It also headlined on news websites, leading to a majority of informed Americans knowing about this story.
Seen in the topics above, I have chosen 7 cases to focus my analysis of this phenomenon on. You may have heard of events relating to one or two of them, and may not have heard about the rest. This is completely expected, even though these cases arguably have the same magnitude and moral importance. The media has chosen for specific reasons not to include all of these cases in their reporting. To learn more about this practice of giving more attention to some stories over others, visit the next page where I analyze the characteristics that set these cases apart.
Case #3: Mumbai Stampede
Summary: According to NBC News, A piece of concrete hit a busy commuter bridge in Mumbai, India, making people think that the crowded bridge was actually collapsing. This was not the case, but the worried commuters wanted to get off the bridge anyways, leading to a stampede that trampled and killed 22 people.
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Level of Attention: This story gained recognition through articles on some US- based news sites, but was mostly covered by local media in India, leaving most US residents uninformed.
Case #4: Soccer Team Killed in Plane Crash
Summary: The Chapecoense Football Team, based in Brazil, was on a charter plane on their way to the match they had been training all year to play in. This all changed when the plane crashed into a mountain. The three players that survived were very much in shock and confused as to why it would happen to them. Some of the deceased players had wives and children they will never see again. The team is giving the widows payments equal to 3yrs of their husbands' salaries, saying that it all they can give. (courtesy of CBS)
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Level of Attention: This case didn't gain much attention by many international media outlets, however, it did gain a spot in CBS's 60 Minutes.
Case #5: Baltimore Cop's Death
Summary: Sean Suiter, a member of the Law Enforcement in Baltimore, MD, was shot dead one day before he was supposed to testify against fellow officers in a corruption case. It is alleged that he was shot by a person who wrestled his gun away from him and had noting to do with the case. However, according to CBS, some are having trouble seeing this as a coincidence and they are asking the FBI to take over.
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Level of Attention: This case is being mostly covered by local news outlets in Baltimore and hasn't really gained any national attention, other than a CBS article linked above.
Case #6: Person who Died in the California Wildfires
Summary: A 70 year old woman from Santa Paula, CA named Virginia Pesola fell victim to the LA wildfires in December 2017. Her official cause of death, according to NBC News, was, "blunt force injuries with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries." The fire at the time of the story had burned 530 buildings, but things were looking up thanks to the lifting of evacuation orders.
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Level of Attention: This story mostly gained traction in the Los Angeles area, where people were being directly affected by the wildfires. It did not have much of a national presence.
Case #7: 2 Students Die in School Shooting in New Mexico
Summary: At Aztec High School in New Mexico, a shooter was able to make it inside in early December, killing 2 students before they died as well. The students and staff were able to safely follow lockdown procedures, and the police were able to make it there in less than a minute. This event shook the whole community and residents were filled with disbelief, according to their posts on social media. (courtesy of CBS)
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Level of Attention: This story was able to make online headlines across major news outlets in the US, but was only followed the day it happened, just as another school shooting in the US.
