In the wake of 9/11, it seems that the media has taken to heart the value they possess in emergency situations. If nothing else, they were on top of disclosing the facts during the actual events of 9/11 to a level that this administration was (and still is) completely inept by comparison. The problem comes in when they assume the total responsibility for the communications in emergency management situations in that they don’t have to demonstrate decency or restraint when reporting.

Something truly awful happened two days ago. Some kid snapped and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech. I’m sure if you know anything about the story you already know the details. In fact, that’s pretty what we’ve been inundated with since it happened. That’s to be expected. That’s hot society as a whole can eventually bring closure to this horrifying event.

My first story on what happened came from the AP. In a nutshell, it said that they had no details about the event, “up to 22″ people had been killed and they knew nothing of the shooter other than he was dead and it was unclear whether he shot himself or police shot him. The middle part of the story was devoted a sort of “who’s who” in school shootings over the past few decades. It was phrased in such a manner that it almost looked like they were having a contest — rooting for those few more dead so they could break the story of what inevitably came to be known as “THE DEADLIEST SCHOOL SHOOTING IN US HISTORY”. You know, like it takes the thunder out of all those kids that lost their lives at Columbine. I betcha they were feeling pretty cool until they were ousted by VT.

To say that this first reading of the events soured my interpretation of it would be understating things just a bit.

I called the wife and got her take on things since I didn’t have any kind of streaming media and it seems that CNN wasn’t exactly faring much better. In their case, they had the hype-media money shot of the tearful VT students who were explaining that they were unable to find their friend, who they mentioned by first name, who was a Resident Assistant in one of the buildings. My only hope is that the named student’s parents weren’t watching because under normal circumstances officials contact family members before they release the names to the media. You know…to avoid creating panic. Patton also told me that the “I-Reporters” were out in full force so as to avoid CNN putting their reporters lives at risk or create any unneeded expenditures.

I found a couple of photo galleries of various students being evacuated from the scene by police officers. My only thought to these was that they really could’ve waited until the victims’ families were notified of the whereabouts of their friends and family who may or may not have been caught in the crossfire.

All in all, I’m disgusted with the media today. I’m beginning to wonder if the American people can actually trust them at all.

But let’s not forget the right-wingers out there; no one can out-slime them when they get on a roll.

OLBERMANN: We‘ll end the Countdown where we began, a day of contrasts at Virginia Tech. The candle light vigil tonight at Drill Field on the campus there, extraordinary and compelling scene. Details about the worst of students and events there, poignant memorials to the best if students, teachers and events there. First, time for Countdown‘s latest list of nominees for Worst Person in the World.

And obviously, in the light of the events at Virginia Tech, a good time for one of the periodic reminders that this is satirical social commentary, not some sort of literal designation. Although, when you hear these, all about Virginia Tech, you may have your doubts.

The bronze to right-wing columnist Debby Schlussel. In between her references to, “Hoprah Winfrey”, she first wrote yesterday that “authorities did not immediately identified the shooter at Virginia Tech, so he might have been a, quote, Paki, and part of a coordinated terrorist attack by Muslims.” She later updated this to conclude that he was a Chinese national, then a South Korean national. “Yet another reason to stop letting in so many foreign students.” The shooter, of course, had been a resident alien who had been here since he was eight and a half years old.

Wait, it gets worse. Don‘t blame immigrants, blame the dead students. The silver to Nathaniel Blake of the publication Human Events. “The students at Virginia Tech”, he writes, “should be heartily ashamed of themselves. College classrooms have scads of young men who are at their physical peak, he writes, and none of them seems to have done anything beyond ducking, running, and holding doors shut. Something is clearly wrong with the men in our culture.” Now, let‘s start with you.

Or with our winner tonight, John Derbeshire of the National Review online, fresh from saying he wouldn‘t mind seeing the English sailors captured by Iran physically injured or worse back in England, he writes now, “setting aside the ludicrous campus ban on licensed conceals, why didn‘t anyone rush the guy …At the very least, count the shots and jump him reloading or changing hands …If I thought I was going to die anyway, I would at least take a run at the guy.”

This is not one of the action film or James Bond fantasies running through your head, sir. This is real life, and those kids you mock are really dead. John Derbeshire, today‘s Worst Person in the World.

And for the record, Derbeshire is one of those “stay the course” people. You know…because he’s obviously a fucking expert.