There are already some articles and blogs, as well as some backlash about the book. I’ve seen one title “Capitalizing on Tragedy?”, that hurts a little.
It needs to be made clear that we did not seek out a deal to publish a book we were writing- Plume Publishing came to us. Also, it needs to be clear that this is not easy for us in the least. We are trying to retell a story that is one of the worst in American History.
Yesterday Roland and I spoke to a professor that lost three students in his classes, as well as a neighbor. All three of us got choked up on more than one occasion.
We are human, we are Hokies, we are students, and we are trying to deal with our grief while speaking to others about theirs and speaking about those that we all lost.
If you think we are capitalizing on anything, then you don’t understand us as much as you think you do.
Granted the media and the public are allowed to express their own opinions, but so are we. In taking on this project we knew there would be some backlash. But our thought pattern is that we believe this book will do some good for some Hokies and others in the Tech Community, and hopefully globally…and if it does that, then it is worth it.
We would not take on such a project if we were not sincere and had our community in our best interest.
The publisher, Plume, has announced plans for a book to be written about April 16th and the shockwaves it produced. Roland Lazenby and a few of the PB group have taken on this tremendous task. We’ve decided to go forward with this for a number or reasons.
This event has changed our world. Sure, the compass points haven’t changed and the sun will still rise and set on schedule, but believe me, everything’s different. This book is partially an attempt to return a sense of normalcy to our little corner of the world.
People still forget that the reporting you see here is done by 18 to 20-somethings who are closer to this horrible event than most could ever imagine. Reporting on and writing about it has been as therapeutic an activity for us as reading about it has been for others. I hope that the decisions we’ve made in covering it and the articles we’ve written show a higher level of respect and concern for the victims than has been shown by the mainstream media.
There is bound to be criticism for a project of this type. Is it too soon? Will it exploit the people affected? Is it an attempt to cash in on tragedy? Personally, I believe the answer to all those questions is a resounding “NO.”
Though we will have a core group doing the writing, this is very much a community effort. Look around Blacksburg and you’ll see a thriving population of people who are moving on with their lives while still honoring those killed and injured. That being said, there are still people in or just out of the hospital who have a long road to recovery ahead of them. It would be presumptuous to think that our book will help them in any way, but I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t hurt them.
A portion of the proceeds will go to aiding the victims and their families. There are a multitude of scholarships and support programs that have been created in the wake of the 16th and we want to do our part. Another part of the proceeds will go towards journalism programs at Virginia Tech. I truly believe that some of the best reporting done these past two weeks has come from PB, the Collegiate Times, and the Roanoke Times. By supporting Tech’s comm department, we may have a hand in exposing the rest of the world to the upstanding, talented writers, reporters and broadcasters this school produces.
There have been great stories done these past two weeks. Stories of heroism and inspiration have shone brightly from the darkness of the shootings. But there is no way anyone could read every newspaper article or talk to every person affected. Our goal is to produce something that will stand up over time by getting as much right as possible.
Who knows how soon is too soon? Was it too soon for NBC to throw pictures and videos from the killer on the TV and the internet? Was it too soon for documentaries on the incident to pop up on the History Channel? This book will take some time to write. It will take some time to publish. By then l hope the people who matter won’t think it’s too soon.
Imagine yourself in a 25-person computer lab on the upper quad of Virginia Tech’s campus on the first day of classes. Your professor walks in, and blasts,
You are all reporters for the Blacksburg Planet and your first story is due at 5:00 p.m. 19 cats are dead…
You had to construct your lead perfectly, and make triple-sure that your story had no factual errors or you would recieve a 60% on that paper. This was the reality of Roland Lazenby’s media writing class.
One day after one of his lectures, I decided that the Internet was a perfect medium for student journalism opportunities. .
The Collegiate Times was a perfectly good newspaper at the time, but it was difficult to get published. Lazenby’s students were writing real news articles, and they weren’t making it past his briefcase. It is basically free to use the web as a publishing medium, so I thought that people might want to read these stories.
Professor Lazenby liked the idea, and we ran with it. We asked the university to let us use the alias planet.org.vt.edu. The only requirements for a student organization at Virginia Tech are a student and an advisor, so in the Fall of 2005, Planet Blacksburg was born.
The site looks unprofessional and the layout was atrocious, but the possibilities were endless. We could use this evolving, interactive portal to publish assignments, and let the whole world explore our attempt at accurate news gathering.
We recruited students, and we published their work. For one long semester, Lazenby edited, and I tried to find time to organize our stories somewhere on the website. There were a few AP style errors, but Google was indexing our content, and traffic was rising. Those few months wore us both out, but it was well worth it.
One of the greatest milestones for Planet Blacksburg was the adaptation of video. Nikki Eley published some of the best video content from the very start. Now we have videos that make it on the Sports Illustrated Blog:
Today, we have over 800 articles published, and more rich media than any other local news organization besides the Roanoke Times. Neal Turnage has put countless hours in to really define our sports section. Over the past two years, over 100 students have been a part of our group, and we hope to attract more attention on May 3rd, when we will co-host a concert at the new Awful Arthurs in Kent Square with BigLickU.
The best part of Planet Blacksburg is the student participation. Anyone can build a student media operation from the ground up with the right information, and a little motivation. Getting students published was my goal from the beginning, and I believe that is still the aim of PB. Kevin Cupp has taken over as webmaster, and I am confident that he can carry our mission forward with exciting innovative features, and the ability to syndicate our stories easier.
Everyone else has made a huge impact, and we will continue to grow with more and more students getting involved all the time. Please let us know what you think of our site, and don’t hesitate to contact us with suggestions, comments, and any general feedback. Planet Blacksburg is for you.
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