The media hailed as a hero the man who lost his life as a sniper took aim on Donald Trump. That’s not what his daughter said would happen.
A would-be assassin who opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania mortally wounded a former fire chief. That firefighter would be hailed as a hero as word spread about his actions to shield his family.
A social media post by his daughter, however, predicted he would not receive that deserved credit.
Corey Comperatore took action as gunfire rang out moments after Trump began speaking. One of his daughters took to Facebook during her grief. That’s her right, of course. I wouldn’t take that right away from her. But it’s not what she said but rather the way she said it that I felt was a bit unfortunate.
Her post was full of things she claimed “the media won’t tell you.”
For those of us who work in the media, that’s often a red flag. A lot of people will spout off about things the media won’t say to imply that they know the “inside story.” In some cases, that “inside story” isn’t exactly a true account, either.
We’ve all seen businesses — some of which may operate like scams — that like to use phrases like “what they don’t want you to know.” We see it all the time these days. Some see it as clever marketing.
The more cynical among us see it as annoying.
The more deep-thinking among us immediately wonder, “If it were true, why wouldn’t ‘they’ tell you?”
Misplaced anger? Post seems to take aim at reporting
“What was supposed to be an exciting day that we had all looked forward to (ESPECIALLY my dad), turned into the most traumatizing experiences someone could imagine,” his daughter wrote on Facebook.
She then went on to list things “the media will not cover, and will not say about him.” She included details that he was the best dad a girl could ask for, that he made friends easily, and that he loved Jesus Christ.
How would the media know that and — therefore — be able to report it without someone close to them telling them those details?
When one sees an attack on the industry in which they work, it can be difficult not to take it personally, I suppose. Even when that attack comes from someone who is obviously deeply in grief, the reaction still manifests.
So I try to give her the benefit of the doubt in her remarks. But I still wonder if her words against journalists didn’t somehow take away from who her father was. The spotlight should have been on him. Not on her apparent distrust of journalism. The anger seemed misplaced to me.
There’s no question that Comperatore acted as a hero in that fraction of a second. Just as there’s no question that the men and women who do what he did for a living are heroes. At any moment of their day, they may have to put their lives on the line to save someone else.
Most of the time, when they are able to save that life, they don’t have to give their own. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen that way in their line of work. Yet they still show up every day.
To suggest that it requires “a special breed” of person to pursue that kind of career might be the ultimate in understatements.
‘Hailed as a hero’: Here’s a sample of how the media told his story
I’m happy to tell you that media coverage absolutely labeled this hero as exactly that. As he should have been.
Reports around the world recounted those actions. Consider these headlines:
- Former fire chief who died at Trump rally used his body to shield family from gunfire – Associated Press
- A hero, a firefighter, a Trump supporter. What will Corey Comperatore’s death mean? – USA Today
- Victim in Trump rally shooting died while shielding his family from gunfire – Washington Post
- Firefighter Killed At Trump Rally Hailed As ‘Hero’ For Shielding His Family – The Daily Wire
- Last words of ‘hero’ firefighter who died at Trump rally shooting revealed – Fox News
- Pennsylvania man killed at Trump rally, Corey Comperatore, shielded family when gunfire erupted – CBS News
- Former fire chief killed at Trump rally hailed as a ‘hero,’ two more victims identified – NBC News
- Man killed at Trump rally ‘died a hero,’ Pennsylvania governor says – ABC News
All of thsoe stories — and so many others you can find with a simple Google search — have something in common. They include interviews and public statements from those who knew him.
No, I can’t reasonably expect the child of a murder victim to set aside her grief to conduct a press tour. But at the same time, no one should expect the media to be able to tell a story they don’t know.
As much as some might enjoy thinking otherwise, journalists deal with facts. Those facts can include personal accounts and eyewitness accounts of what happened.
But if no one is willing to give that kind of detail to a journalist, a journalist can’t very well write it, right?
I’m sorry if this seems like some kind of sour grapes. I didn’t cover the story since I’m nowhere near Pennsylvania. So at best, the only real dog I have in the hunt is a more broad brush reaction to what feels like unfair media criticism.
It just seems to me that the focus should have been on him and him alone, not some rant about what “the media wouldn’t tell you.” Grief affects people in different ways and so I’m trying to give grace here.
I just wish the worst hadn’t been assumed from the start here. The focus, it seemed to me, should have been on who he was, not what someone else wouldn’t say about him.
This family, this community, and this nation suffered a horrible loss with his passing. They have every reason to be proud of him. We all do. If only more of us could muster that kind of bravery, we might be an even better country.
I hope the coverage that justifiably portrayed him as the hero he was eases their grief.
