Guest Opinion

By Shelby Stewart-Soldan

I didn’t sleep Monday night. I’m sure many of you were the same.

I’ve always said that news doesn’t take a holiday or a day off. Apparently it doesn’t sleep either.

The violent acts at Michigan State University aren’t the first time I’ve been unable to turn off breaking news coverage. When Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a game last month, I stayed up watching update after update, as sports reporters had to cover breaking news. During the insurrection in January of 2021, we stood in the newsroom and watched the footage all day. After the 2020 election, when the results took almost a full week to be confirmed, our television at home played live election coverage during all waking hours.

Covering a mass shooting isn’t something that is taught in college, or at least it wasn’t when I went to college. I don’t think that is something you can be taught, it’s something you just get the misfortune of having to report on.

And it’s one of the worst things I’ve had to do in my career.

On top of that, after a lot of these incidents there is a lot of criticism of media and how they cover the incident. Areas in Oxford were deemed ‘no media’ zones after the shooting. But I live there.

Trust me, we don’t want to be asking people about a school shooting either. If I never had to cover another mass shooting in my career, I’d be happy. But we’re not heartless. When I report on these topics, it’s because I care. I’m a community member, as are other reporters. We’re neighbors, friends, volunteers, and people just trying to do right by the victims and those affected.

And the worst part of situations like this is that innocent people were killed and wounded. It’s heartbreaking, and horrible to watch, but I can’t seem to turn off the news. News doesn’t sleep, and I’m constantly waiting for a police officer, a doctor, or a politician to give an update to any given situation.

Is there a right way to feel or a right way to grieve? No. Everyone handles these situations differently. I think one of the reasons I became a reporter is that my response is to write when these things happen as a way to cope myself.

I hope to never have to write one of these columns again. But if I do, know that I’m just as hurt and appalled as all of you. We have several Spartans on the team in the View Newspaper Group, and our hearts are with the victims, the students, and all of those affected.

Shelby Stewart-Soldan is an Oxford Township resident