Liquid Tragedy

The CBS newscast opens with the leading anchor: Katie Couric who provides an overall view of the four biggest news stories of the day. Couric proceeds into the shocking news of a woman who drove herself, and her four kids into the Hudson River. A map is shown that displays the location of the tragic incident, as well as several pictures of the mother and her children. Following this brief beginning information on the issue a deputy chief from the Newburg Police department elaborates on the only redeeming factor involved: the oldest ten year old son in the car managed to escape the mini van, and survived the accident. The deputy provides an in-depth illustration of the boys escape. Following this, another individual commenter addresses the issue with a brief statement, which leads into a personal statement from the niece of the killer, as well as a brief encounter with a neighbor of the deceased. The case is said to be reminiscent of several previous cases, which are elaborated on, and end with a doctor of psychology who gives a professional explanation for this “psychotic mother”. The newscast ends with several imperative details given by a reporter at the scene, as well as the main news anchor associated with CBS news. Generally, footage consists mostly of the people commenting on the issue, as well as a view pictures showing where the events occurred, and the people involved.

The story was fairly balanced between individual commenter’s, and Katie Couric. Professionals speaking on the issue include Deputy: Michael Ferrara, Chief Michael Vatter of the Newburgh Fire Department, Dr. Nicole La Loy the assistant chief for impatient psychiatry, NYU Largone Med. Ctr., and finally, the newscast included Elaine Quijano the field anchor. In addition to this, the neighbor Christine Santos, as well as the niece gave their opinion on the issue, addressing their deep shock and surprise that this “good mother” could engage in such a horrific incident, leaving herself and three of her four children dead. The newscast failed to mention where the two anchors speaking got their information, however there were a lot more individuals commenting, so it made it less apparent that this element was missing. Therefore, the issue was generally backed up with credible sources who either held an authoritative role, or were personally affected or involved with the story.

The story was efficiently reported on. Katie Couric did an excellent job explaining the exact whereabouts of the situation, and rapidly providing imperative details for the audience, to ensure that the news captured the interest of viewers, as well as providing the raw necessary facts for those only able to tune in for the beginning of the newscast. In addition to this, the newscast included information on similar cases. Despite the efficient layout of the newscast, it was a bit short, and only mentioned one theory on the motive. The story could have been more adequately equipped with the inclusion of a bit more information that would answer some main questions posed by viewers. Likewise, sources for the information provided by the anchors would have increased the credibility of the show.