Web site commemorates those lost in Virginia Tech tragedy

Issue Date:Thursday April 26, 2007
Section: HeadLine News Section
Angela Moscaritolo, Staff Writer

Three West Virginia University journalism students are putting together a memorial Web site for Virginia Tech.

Stephen Matthews, Missy Brown and Andy Smith traveled to Virginia Tech last week to cover the tragedy for a Web site to honor the victims.

"Our mission is to tell the story of the students that were there," Matthews said.

The Web site will focus on the victims and their friends and families. There will be no coverage of the killer as part of the Web site, Matthews said.

The night before their drive to Virginia Tech, Matthews and Brown searched the Internet for contacts. Matthews heard back from the best friend of victim Ross Alameddine.

"I've honestly never heard someone's voice who was so disturbed," Matthews said.

When they got to the Virginia Tech campus, Matthews, Brown and Smith were met with a flood of other media. They saw stations covering the tragedy from Spain, Russia, Canada and more, Matthews said.

On campus there were "hundreds upon hundreds" of flowers and signatures filling large white poster boards, Brown said. Also, no one ever spoke above a whisper, Matthews added.

They saw inspirational messages sent from other colleges, such as New York University and Auburn University.

"That just shows that it's affected all schools," said Matthews.

The three students took audio and video recordings along with still photography for the multimedia Web site.

Matthews, Brown and Smith are aiming to complete the Web site by May 13 but because of finals, the deadline for the project may get pushed back.

Through their experience at Virginia Tech, Matthews, Brown and Smith said they learned real-world lessons about journalism. Smith was shooting photographs of the campus and came across Virginia Tech students crying in front of Norris Hall. He made an ethical decision not to take photos of the students.

"The last thing they needed was a guy sticking a camera in their face," Smith said.

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Photo By: Andy Smith

Original Source: The Daily Athenaeum
<a href="http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27796">http://www.da.wvu.edu/show_article.php?&story_id=27796</a>

Angela Moscaritolo (Author)/Andy Smith (Photo)

2008-02-18

Kacey Beddoes

Leann Ray <Leann.Ray@mail.wvu.edu>

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