We don’t have any illusions here; circumstances have as much to do with the press’ performance so far on this story as its sense of responsibility. Red Lake simply doesn’t resonate for most Americans like Columbine did. If it were more culturally significant, there’s little doubt the coverage would be much poorer.


But we’re still heartened that the media has taken a sensational issue and, for the most part, tried to get at the truth instead of going off on a binge of pop sociology. The press may have a long way to go in reporting on this type of tragedy, but at the very least it seems to be moving in the right direction.

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