Mike is unprepared: The interview and the resulting news story, I
Mike is still shaken up from the stabbing incident that happened at his school the day before. He has heard lots of rumours about what happened, but he knows nothing that has been confirmed. He feels very unprepared for the interview, but he doesn't think it will matter as long as he answers questions honestly.
This is how the interview goes:
Reporter: School violence seems to be increasing in our community. How many attacks like this have happened in the past few years at this school?
Mike: I don't know.
Reporter: But would you agree that school violence is on the rise?
Mike: Yeah, I guess so. I've heard some stories of stabbings and shootings around town. I guess bringing a knife to school is becoming an everyday thing.
Reporter: What's the mood like around here? Were you afraid to come to school today?
Mike: No. I mean, it's not like someone gets stabbed at school everyday. But I know some people are pretty freaked out by the whole thing. I guess it just depends on the person.
Reporter: A couple of people have told me that this incident was racially motivated. What's the consensus?
Mike: From what I've heard, I'd say, yeah, it probably was a race thing. A couple of my friends saw the whole thing and they say this one black kid went after this native kid and then the native kid pulled out a knife.
Reporter: Is there a lot of racial tension at your school?
Mike: At my school? Fights at our school can be about anything - the colour of your skin, the kind of music you listen to, the people you date... I think some people at our school would pick a fight over the colour of your socks. But no, I don't think you'd find any more fighting at our school than you would at any other local high school.
Reporter: Thanks for your time.
Here's how the reporter decided to use Mike's interview in her story:
Student calls stabbing "everyday thing"
By Jane Smith
Yesterday's violent stabbing incident at Lealock Secondary left many students shaken. Several students witnessed a fight break out in a school hallway that involved one black student and one native student, both eleventh-grade students at Lealock. While the stabbing has left many students shell-shocked and many parents concerned, Lealock student Mike Peters says such violence is becoming commonplace.
"I guess bringing a knife to school is becoming an everyday thing," he says, the afternoon after the stabbing. According to Peters, violent incidents such as yesterday's stabbing are on the increase, as angry teens look for any excuse to throw the first punch. "Fights at our school can be about anything - the colour of your skin, the kind of music you listen to, the people you date," says Peters. "I think some people at our school would pick a fight over the colour of your socks."
Dr. Wilson Fellows, a psychiatrist who works with dangerous kids, says school violence is on the increase. He says kids today often turn to fighting to solve their problems...
Now check out how this story could have turned out if Mike had been prepared for the interview.
