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One by one, students ran from Columbine High to escape the terror
caused by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. As teen-agers wandered
outside the building, some appeared dazed and confused —
shocked by the killings of their teacher and friends. Others cried
and wept, unable yet to comprehend the horror of what they or
others had witnessed.
Despite their emotional distress, many students appeared to be
willing to talk to the news media. For the past year, there has
been speculation about why students at Columbine were more willing
to speak with journalists than students in other school shootings.
For the journalists who covered Columbine, the students' and
families' willingness to speak was unexpected. Journalists who
had covered school shootings in Springfield, Paducah or Jonesboro
said they had expected hostility from the community and were surprised
by the welcome.
In Brill's Content, July 1999, Jessica Seigel wrote: "For journalists,
the Columbine massacre was literally a walk in the park compared
to past school shootings."
 Migael
Scherer, Seattle writer and trauma survivor,notes that one reason
for this perception was the availability of students — there
were 1,900 attending Columbine High at the time of the shooting.
Journalists could readily interview young men and women as they
wandered outside the school shortly after the attack. The greater
the number of students, the more likely journalists will find
someone to talk, she said.
Scherer also added that many of the students were in shock and
would likely follow directions from anyone resembling an authority
figure. In this case, some teens viewed reporters as authority
figures, someone they could trust to make sense out of chaos.
"As a victim, I remember being in immediate shock," said Scherer.
"I was so suggestible that I would follow instructions and would
answer any questions. I felt the world was out of control and
that I didn't have control of myself or my responses."
Siegel, writing in Brill's Content, suggested that some teens
found it easier to speak with reporters than with their parents.
They avoided talking to their parents after the shooting. Instead,
many visited the memorial site, a place filled with journalists
seeking one-on-one interviews.
"The teens believed that their parents couldn't understand,"
said Seigel. "Journalists, on the other hand, made for a willing
audience." Jenny Favell, a psychologist who directs a program
for family members of homicide victims at Virginia Mason Medical
Center in Seattle, said traumatized victims may talk about their
experiences immediately following a terrifying event out of nervousness
and fear. By telling their story, the victims begin forming ideas
of what happened and making sense out of the tragedy.
One journalist who was at Columbine confirms that perspective.
David Handschuh, photographer for the New York Daily News, said
many of The victims he interviewed spoke with him because they
wanted to tell the world about their loss and to prevent another
school shooting.
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