Two "Virginia Tech Victims" Mistakenly Called Penn State Students

Posted by ha-mace 12/07/2007 7:21 PM

Tags: Drudge Report, WSLS, Virginia Tech Shooting Victim Costume, facebook

Two "Virginia Tech Victims" Mistakenly Called Penn State Students

Update of the update here - a clarification, and new info.

As we said on Radio Free Penn State this evening, the "Virginia Tech shooting victim costume" story is going to be THE story for the next week or so. We can only assume there will be an editorial in The Collegian on Monday, and various articles and letters-to-the-editor the remainder of the week. And we can already see that the story has picked up on the national front, as it has been hosted on MSNBC's website along with The Drudge Report among others. But, here's the problem with all those stories - from what we can tell, they don't quite have their facts straight.

Let's start off with someone who did it right - WSLS, the Virginia TV station that first broke the story last night (here's a video of their report). They talk about two Penn State students (one male, one female) who wore these costumes, but they never go so far as to name the students, and they don't show the pictures. They do conduct a phone interview with the guy who was wearing the costume (who we quote in our last post about this).

From here is where it gets a little dicey. In doing some searching for people wearing "Virginia Tech shooting victim costumes" we have found photos of at least three separate people (here, here and here), one of which is the female Penn State student. The other two men who are often shown are not Penn State students and have no connection to the school. One of them is featured on The Drudge Report at this moment. He is not, and never has been a Penn State student.

In fact, earlier tonight we spoke with him on Facebook where he said, "I have no links to Penn State at all. I'm just a random guy who's getting death threats." He has since removed his Facebook account.

This certainly doesn't make Penn State better or worse. But, it shows a problem in the media today, especially when it comes to a sensational story like this one. Although we've received many tips on who the Penn State students are in the photos, it has turned out that many of the tipsters were wrong. Some of the names you are reading or hearing about just aren't the girl in the photo, or the guy who conducted the interview with WSLS.

We have held back in naming anyone in this case, but as next week plays out, expect much more information to surface.

Comments

Anonymous says,

The guy in the video report IDENTIFIES himself as going to Penn State. So is he lying? If you've got proof that two of the three students don't go to Penn State, put it out there. Otherwise, you've got at a minimum two students who go to Penn State at what has been identified as a Penn State Halloween Party doing so incredibly insensitive and stupid that it tarnishes the reputation of the institution of Penn State.

Rational people realize that they are not representative of Penn State in it's totality, but you can't tell me that there aren't college kids out there who saw them show up at the party and saw nothing wrong with it. They were "pushing the envelope" as the rather feminine male states in the interview.

The only difference now is that they're being confronted by the families and friends of the people they sought to cruely mock and they're suddenly finding it very uncomfortable in the harsh glare of public opinion.

Again, if you've got info that says they're not Penn State students and this was not in any way affiliated with Penn State, put it out there.

An expression of disgust at this event might be appropriate, too. Posted 12/08/2007 08:59 AMReply

ha-mace says,

@ Anonymous: Maybe I wasn't clear in my post. I haven't been able to find photos of the guy who did the phone interview with the Virginia TV station. He is a Penn State student, but he is neither of the men shown in the above pictures.
The person I spoke with, that I quote in my post is the person in the photo on the right. He is not a Penn State student.
So, to clarify. There were two Penn State students that dressed as "Virginia Tech Victims." One is the girl above. But the guy is not pictured.
And I beleive I have expressed my disgust adequetly in my previous post. Posted 12/08/2007 1:33 PMReply

Anonymous says,

Does it really matter whether they are Penn State students or not? Just because two of the people may have gone to PSU means nothing. It's not the university's fault that they acted so rudely and with disrespect, nor is it the rest of the student body's fault. I am offended that they did this act, and as a Penn State student I am embarrassed that I go to the same school as them. Although I am embarrassed by this, it makes it worse for the rest of the student body to have to carry the blame along with these two persons. Their actions are not supported by the rest of the university, so it isn't fair to lump them in with the rest of the university. So my point is, why does it matter whether they go to PSU or not? Going to a different school would not make these costumes less rude or hurtful. Posted 12/08/2007 2:26 PMReply

Anonymous says,

As a VT alumnus, (I graduated in May, I was there during the shootings) I can say that myself and most of my friends were more offended with the blatant lack of disrespect, class, and unwillingness to apologize... than the costumes themselves. The reporter herself is also a 2007 graduate of VT. The PSU student frequently references State College as a place that encourages and supports pushing the envelope, but we all know its not true. PSU was probably our biggest supporter among academic institutions next to UVA. We won't ever forget that.

www.hokiesthanktheworld.org

that is one of many attempts by the VT community to thank everyone for their support. And yes, it does mean something to see PSU rally against these individuals actions. It is nice to see support and resolve following such disgusting and revolting acts. The individuals certainly exercised their rights. But words have consequences, and it is a chance to show even greater support. Posted 12/08/2007 6:27 PMReply

Anonymous says,

"blatant lack of disrespect"? Posted 12/08/2007 7:16 PMReply

Anonymous says,

oops! sorry, maybe i should write speeches for Bush!

let me rephrase it: blatant disrespect, lack of class, and unwillingness to apologize.

Just got a bit mixed up. Posted 12/08/2007 7:45 PMReply

Anonymous says,

That was just classless. what a piece of garbage. I'm sure lots of people know who she is though and that her life has become rather unpleasant. Posted 12/08/2007 7:49 PMReply

Anonymous says,

So then what's your point? There seems to be adequate information to tie this tasteless attempt at humor at the doorstep of at least two individuals associated with Penn State. Drudge only printed two pictures of people he identified as Penn State students. So big whoop if you have evidence that one of those pictured was not affiliated with PSU. You've admitted that one of the indviduals liked to this despicable event was. So it's a wash. One person pictured was apparently not affiliated with the school, while one person who participated but was not photographed was. Either way, PSU has been tainted, whether they want to admit it or not.

I'm a VT alumni and don't for a minute believe that this disgusting lack of respect or empathy is reflective of PSU as a whole. But it doesn't make ya'll look good. To continue to argue over this petty bullshit makes it seem as if you are acting as apologists for those in the photographs.

A smart man knows when and where to fight his battles. This place had LOSE / LOSE written all over it.

Smart up, young man.

VT
'93
Go HOKIES.
Beat KU Posted 12/08/2007 8:14 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I used to be friends with the girl in the photo. Please don't hate her and stop sending her threatening e-mails. What she did was wrong but you people have no right to harass her like this. She is a good person and i know this because i know her. I love her a lot and she is going through a lot right now. Please leave her alone. Posted 12/08/2007 8:14 PMReply

Anonymous says,

people get information wrong. they should get it correct. point is...it doesn't matter WHO did it, the fact is that it was done. it is still despicable. Posted 12/08/2007 8:34 PMReply

Anonymous says,

"she is a good person" "she is going through a lot right now"

hmmm....I think the everything she is "going through" right now is probably a direct result of her actions. And therefore, I have no pity for her whatsoever.

When she goes to class every morning, does she remember to call her mom and tell her she loves her? Or text her best friend to say she's thinking of her and she hopes she has a great day? No. Because as a normal college student, that though doesn't cross her mind. She hasn't lived through a tragedy like we have in Blacksburg, and yet she thinks she has enough knowledge of the situation to mock it. People say it's her right to free speech, and I'm not discrediting that at all. Yet, if you have enough sense to be accepted into a wonderful institution like Penn State, you should have enough sense to understand the caliber of what happened at Virginia Tech.

It's not "trendy" to miss our friends, it's being human. Posted 12/08/2007 11:03 PMReply

Anonymous says,

We Are Virginia Tech...and We Will Prevail. Posted 12/08/2007 11:05 PMReply

Anonymous says,

"She is going through a lot"....wow that just rankles me. Is she going through nightmares and panic attacks like I was?

Is she going through having to think every single day since then what would have happened had not my friends been sick, been lazy, been late, or otherwise by some weird miracle all not been in Norris Hall when they were supposed to?

Finally does she have to live for the remainder of her time with the knowledge of exactly how a wonderful and kind young man who had a bright future ahead of him was cut down and the sounds of "Taps" at his funeral?

I DIDN'T THINK SO.....

So please don't tell me "she's going through a lot". I think we have been through worse. I know I have.

By the way ha-mace, a new global Facebook group has been created after the old one was closed by Facebook. You can access it here:
http://vt.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8148227467&ref=mf

VT
Class of '09
GO HOKIES
WE WILL PREVAIL!!!! Posted 12/08/2007 11:51 PMReply

Anonymous says,

"Either way, PSU has been tainted, whether they want to admit it or not."

wth? this is two idiots out of ~30000-40000 people. and the kid who did the phone interview sounds like an **** who was trying to continually group/tie himself to PSU. I'm _pretty_ sure that their actions don't represent the sentiments of the school.

and seriously, if you get asked for a phone interview after doing something as idiotic as this, there are two routes: don't take the interview, or use it as an opportunity to apologize. Posted 12/09/2007 04:39 AMReply

ha-mace says,

Btw, my point was only that the media's rush to judgement caused them to make an error ... repeatedly. As I tried to point out in my post, it doesn't change the fact that two Penn State students dressed in offensive (to put it mildly) costumes.
But once again, we should not simply trust something because "the media" told us.
But it doesn't change the major facts. Two Penn State students did something horrible, and for that, the Penn State community is very sorry Posted 12/09/2007 07:10 AMReply

Anonymous says,

As far as the girl goes,she could be a case of a student a who made a drunken error in judgment. She didn't provoke the situation further like her counterpart did in his phone interview, and she still has a chance to apologize. I agree. Back off the girl, for now.

She was stupid and callous, yes, but there is no need to threaten her, or anyone for that matter.

As far as the guy in question goes? his actions are unforgivable.

VT Class of 2007 Posted 12/09/2007 11:03 AMReply

Anonymous says,

I hope she spends the rest of her time at PSU as an outcast for this. Posted 12/09/2007 5:54 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I certainly don't condone the actions of the 2 individuals, especially the guy for his overt lack of respect, but are death threats the right way to handle this? Isn't that just exacerbating the whole problem? I wonder what your thought processes are to send death threats to someone making fun of a tragedy where people died. Whomever sent those threats really need to think before they act. Posted 12/10/2007 12:58 PMReply

Anonymous says,

You are Virginia Tech, but shouldn't you have prevailed by now? If you're going to let a couple of Halloween costumes disrupt your lives to the point where you're in shambles, then you should take a step back to ask yourself "what the ****?". Yes, Tech was a tragedy, but who are you to say what's off limits to joke about? You're biased. You go to Tech. It's not like these people sought you out to tear open your wounds. You choose to cry. Others choose to laugh. Both are therapeutic.

Stop dwelling and get on with your lives. Posted 12/11/2007 12:16 PMReply

Anonymous says,

Biased? You don't think that there are citizens all over the country that are outraged by this? Let me tell you, there are. Also, it is completely natural that those most deeply affected are going to have the strongest reaction to insensitive actions such as these. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Anyway, here is the best way to put these feelings into perspective for an insensitive bastard such as yourself. Let me know when a tragedy takes place in your life; I'll mock it and make sure that my classlessness is covered extensively by the media. Then we'll see how you react, you ****ing prick.

@ Anonymous: Posted 12/11/2007 8:40 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I worked on this story for WSLS. Of the three pictures shown above, only the middle picture is one we are familiar with. The other two (as id'd by the author), I have never seen. There are several other pictures we do have of the Penn St. students, but we never released them and it was very sad to see Drudge and the others assume the pictures are the one referenced. Posted 12/12/2007 10:46 AMReply

Anonymous says,

reguardless of everything said this whole situation is sad. moral of the story you don't make a joke out of a tragedy. i don't go to penn state, nor do i go to va tech.. i do live in pennsylvania and it makes me embarrassed to live here in a way. at some point in your life you have to realize whats wrong and right and put other peoples feelings into perspective when doing something like this. think about their parents, and their friends. think about if that was one of your friends that was murdered for no reason and someone was dressing up and making light of a horrible situation. you have to think before you act. in general i just don't know how someone can laugh about murder, especially something as brutal as that. my heart goes out to those of you affected by this from Va Tech or not.. tragedy is tragedy. it's just sad. <3 Posted 12/15/2007 8:06 PMReply

Anonymous says,

id love to lock these ****s in a room and just beat the shit out of them...ignorant pricks. heartless ****ing peices of shit. imagine if that was one of your siblings who was killed, not so funny anymore is it you ****ing dick. Posted 01/16/2008 11:44 PMReply

Anonymous says,

i hope these people never get hired for a job Posted 01/16/2008 11:46 PMReply

Anonymous says,

It's a costume. People need to chill out. Worry yourselves with real problems. Posted 02/22/2008 8:59 PMReply