Mr. Schardt said he made two phone calls from the school after the shooting began. The first was to 911, the second to the CBS news affiliate in San Diego, KFMB. ‘I wanted to let the news know,” he said.
“I’m like, hey, there’s a shooting at school. I’m watching right now.”
He wasn’t scared, he recalled later. “I wasn’t thinking of anybody or anything. I was taking pictures.”
I don’t want to be all touchy-feely and Helen Lovejoy-“What’s happening to our children?!”, but does the tone of this article seem strange to anyone else? I mean, given the subject matter, you might think Ms. Rimer would have interviewed a few more students, maybe some of the parents–just to put the piece in context, give it some depth and resonance. But no.
Frankly, I’d like to know what the boy’s classmates think of him. His comments about wanting to respect the feelings of the victims’ families seem remarkably hollow. Why is the kid even interesting? ‘Cause he had the presence of mind to pick up a camera? Okay, maybe that’s worth something, but a full write-up in the Times–a write-up that seems completely ignorant of the ironies of the situation?
Sloppy journalism, slow news day.
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