Courtesy Bling$Bling

What happened at Fort Hood on Thursday was a senseless tragedy, and clearly resonates with everyone. Yet in most tragedies, the reporters roll seems to be to find some motive, some reason behind the act, however odd and random it may seem.

In the case of Maj. Nidal Hasam, D.C. news outlets had a rare opportunity to exam a killer from a local perspective. It’s typical to try and localize a story for the readers; it’s an oft used method to connect people to stories, however many miles away they may be from the actual events. Since Hasam was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for a number of years before his recent transfer to Fort Hood. He worshiped at a mosque in Silver Spring, Md.

I was sitting next to a fellow grad student, Tiffany March, as she read stories about the shooting when a look of shock struck her face. The mosque that Hasam had attended was within walking distance from her house.

There are most likely hundreds of people who have some real connection, like Tiffany’s, to Hasam and the tragedy. These connections could easily be found in any one of the 19 stories the Washington Post has written covering the shooting since it occurred; that figure doesn’t even include the up-to-date accounts that were posted as news of the event leaked, or the photo and video galleries, or the page with profiles of each victim.

A part of me says this is overkill. I wonder when enough is enough, and when a story has been hashed out to its entirety.

On the other hand, this is wholly rare opportunity for the paper to explore a topic with such local meaning that is also in such high demand. As shocking as it may be to discover that some part of your life is linked to this killer, it’s kind of what people are looking for when they go and read these stories.

I just don’t know how I feel about all this. I understand it’s a cop out to say that, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling and see how other people feel about this coverage. I do appreciate that much of the coverage has been positive: stories about the victims are kind and helpful, and profiles of the civilian cop who risked her life to stop Hasam is inspiring, and perhaps the story with the most enduring value.