Blog 5: Mass Shooting in Birmingham, Alabama: CNN vs. FoxNews

 

On Sunday, September 22, 2024, there was a devastating mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama. So far, there are four already declared dead and seventeen injured since this took place at a popular nightlife location in the town. In this blog post, I wanted to take a break from the more political scene and dive into how both CNN and FoxNews cover such a tragic event. However, will they instantly relate it to politics and gun control? Do they write with compassion for the families involved?

The FoxNews article, White House condemns Alabama shooting that police say killed 4, wounded 17 in alleged paid ‘hit’ | Fox Newsbegins with a statement from the White House in which there was an immediate condemnation on gun violence; “"President Biden and Vice President Harris join Americans across the nation in praying for the families affected by this senseless violence," Feldman continued” (Price, 2024). This is particularly surprising to me that FoxNews would add a statement made from the President and Vice President. However, I think in a situation such as this, there is a time to put politics aside and for the news outlet to plainly report the details of how the nation grieves for these families. As the article continues, there is only more inspection into what happened and a plea for people to come forward on what occurred so they can find who is responsible. Thankfully, at the end of this report, FoxNews added a quote from the Birmingham Police Chief who says, “To the victims and the victims' families, our heartfelt condolences go out to them. That's 21 people whose lives were forever changed, that's 21 families, that some are destroyed and some are just altered. Our hearts go out to them as we work through this” (Thurmond, 2024). 

The CNN article, Birmingham, Alabama shooting: At least 4 killed and 17 injured in gunfire at popular Five Points South area, police say | CNN starts off with more of a telling of the events from the shooting. shooters are “believed” to have used machine gun conversion devices. CNN explains that the devices can be used to override the trigger mechanism on a gun, so it functions as a machine gun. After noting this in the report, CNN then quotes the mayor of Birmingham, Randall Woodfin, “saying gun violence is at an “epidemic level” in the city” (Afshar et al, 2024). Then CNN goes on to reiterate, “Enforcing stricter gun regulation “does require a political shift at every level,” Woodfin said. “It does require us to roll up our sleeves and make common sense laws that actually save lives” ((Afshar et al, 2024). Obviously, CNN is still explaining the facts, but adding in their reasons to advocate for stricter gun laws. The article also gives a personal testimony from a 24 year old who was standing outside the Hookah Bar when all of this took place. This emotionally tugs at the readers as he describes the kinds of screams he heard as well. The article closes with asking businesses to provide any surveillance footage they have and with reassurance for the people of Birmingham that everything possible is being done to make sure they find those responsible for such a heinous act. 

After comparing both FoxNews and CNN and their stories on this shooting, I was surprised to see many similarities. FoxNews utilized quotes from President Biden and Vice President Harris just as CNN did in their article. CNN did touch on gun laws and how they must be improved, but both articles still invoked emotion, which I think was necessary for this event. I am glad to see that neither article was numb to what happened, and that there was a sense of urgency, realness, and sympathy for the victims. Do you think the mass media provides a sense of unity and compassion when speaking on tragic events such as this shooting?