Anderson Cooper, CNN
The media served first as witness.
Then as bullhorn. Next as a fellow mourner. And still going forward, as investigator.
By Wednesday night, CNN’s Anderson Cooper was spending time in South Carolina with the Walter Scott family, asking about why first aid wasn’t offered, refereeing an on-air shouting match among his “guests.”
The media had moved beyond the initial Walter Scott hashtag response to find out who Scott’s family members are and what kind of life he led. A news conference Wednesday, with the local police chief confessing he was “sickened” by what he saw, brought the reality home again.
Through it all, the original graphic video played and replayed.
MSNBC interviewed the man who shot the video, who said he almost deleted the footage because he feared for his life.
And viewers watched again and again, as if serving as witness, we somehow honored the deceased.
On this case as always, the media will act as a mirror to society, and perhaps there will be lasting awareness as a result.
