"Duisburg am Tag danach"

New York Times Article: “Stampede at German Music Festival Kills 18”

The New York Times coverage of the trampling deaths of 19-some youths at the annual “Love Parrade” hosted by the German city of Duisburg, is unsurprisingly short and feels unsurprisingly distanced from the subject matter and subjects. In fact, the article states that there were 18 victims and not 19 as all other news sources I found stated, including German-based papers.

There are, however, some pretty amazing photographs linked on the NYT website, that with the background knowledge are quiet horrific.

CNN Article: “Number of dead, injured at German music festival rises”

The CNN article is far more in-depth than the NYT piece, both in length and detail and background information. It delved into how exactly such a tragic event could occur, from the number of actual attendees versus the number predicted, the police presence, the potential initial cause of the panic that led to the trampling of victims, and the aftermath. There were also specific numbers as to the total number of injuries in addition to fatalities and quotes from both event coordinators and rescue workers. Commentators go into the details of the accident. There was one main stage that held about 1 million attendees and a secondary stage was opened upon seeing the massive overflow of people. The tunnel exit onto the main stage was blocked off and all of those in the tunnel as well as those still trying to gain entry to the festival were told to turn around and head to the smaller second stage that had been set up and opened for them. Apparently, people from outside of the arena and maybe people who were trying to get out of the tunnel area climbed the steep embankment on both sides and when a person or two slipped down the embankment--in addition to the fact the tunnel had been closed to the main stage without adequate instructions--people began to panic and pressed into and trampled their neighbors. It was the movement from the primary stage through a concrete ground-level tunnel to the second stage that sparked the disaster and that all the victims were crushed either at the entry to the tunnel or in the tunnel itself. The CNN piece is written—in my opinion—in a far less neutral (nearing apathetic) tone than the NYT piece is. As a result, it is a lot easier to read and to become emotionally attached to. You can much easier relate to CNN’s coverage than the NYT coverage because it bring in the numbers, countries of origin of the victims, different kind of emotive factors from the writing style to the quotes chosen to represent the accident.

USA Today Article: “Love Parade permanently canceled after 19 killed in panic”

The article in USA Today more or less opens with the angle that the “Love Parade”, which had been held peacefully for two decades would never again be held out of respect for the victims and their families and because it was no longer a representation of all the event was meant to be—“a peaceful event and a happy party.” This piece is much more focused on the business, technical, and even pseudo-political aspects of the incident. They mention how the police department of Duisburg (the city the dance party took place) had argued in vain the year before that it was an inappropriate and unsafe choice of location for the exact reason that ended up being the main cause of the catastrophe. The article winds down with a slightly creepy mention of that fact that even after people were trampled the party went on; “City officials chose not to evacuate the site, fearing it might spark more panic, and many people continued partying, unaware of the deaths. Rescue workers carried away the injured as techno music thundered in the background.” Rescue efforts were hindered by the difficult nature of getting through the crowds and finding enough ground to land emergency helicopters to airlift injured and dead from the area. The day was only made more traumatic by the failure of local cellular connectivity and the ensuing surge of family members flooding to the scene worried about children and friends at the festival.

Guardian.co.uk Article: “
Love Parade organisers criticised after 19 die in stampede”

The feature on the “stampede” in Britain’s The Guardian seems to be more or less lifted from the CNN article with some parts slightly modified and reworded. It is shorter in length and detail than the CNN piece (similar in length and depth to the NYT article) but does have disproportionately more quotes from individuals who were at the event and those who were reacting to it, which adds a slightly more personal feel to the writing.

Bild Article: “Duisburg am Tag danach” or “Duisburg, the Day After”

First of all Bild is German-based, the highest-selling newspaper in Europe, is allegedly non-partisan, and is more concentrated in photos ie is a tabloid paper. I chose it for all of these reasons but most importantly because of it’s readership numbers. Naturally, the front page of the Bild paper edition and the online front page was of the Love Parade and its aftermath. However, I was surprised to see that the actual coverage, online anyway, was relatively concise yet emotionally written. It seems in place of writing, there are 8 posted videos, some of which is really quite upsetting. A handful of limp pale bodies are passed above and by the partygoers up the embankment to awaiting EMTs. The article focuses not on who is to blame, or what even went wrong to a great extent, simply that it was an incredibly sad day and respects are being paid to those who died and those who were seriously injured. In the scope of things, that angle is actually kind of refreshing—now is the time to mourn and tomorrow is the day to look at what could have and should be done to protect against such a catastrophe.






Comparative Overview:

It seems the more local you are to a particular event, the more ethnocentric your writing will turn out in relations to that specific geographical location. As in, the NYT article seems nearly entirely stripped of emotion, which as a newpaper might be seen as a good thing. The German paper, however is chock full of hypersensitive and hyperdescriptive words painting the events of the stampede at the Love Parade. Also, the front page of the German paper along with the supplementary sidebars are all of coverage of the Love Parade. As a German pride event (the Love Parade’s inception was meant as a protest against the continued existence of the Berlin Wall) as well as the fact that the fiasco took place on German soil and the fact mostly German residents died, it makes sense why there is so much more and more in-depth coverage by German media.

Sources:
Photo 1: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
NYT article: “Stampede at German Music Festival Kills 18”
CNN article: “Number of dead, injured at German music festival rises”
USA Today article: “Love Parade permanently canceled after 19 killed in panic”
Guardian.co.uk article: “Love Parade organisers criticised after 19 die in stampede”
Bild article: “Duisburg am Tag danach”
Video: youtube