As media descend upon the tragically familiar news story developing at Virginia Tech, the college’s student paper, The Collegiate Times, has been thrust into the spotlight.
Since gunshots were first reported, the paper has been updating live with photos and reports from school officials and student eyewitnesses. An hour ago, the Collegiate was evacuated from its office (students are being held in secure rooms in a student center, it reported) and its website crashed.
The paper continued to provide updates over Twitter and Facebook, fielding and relaying firsthand accounts over the same. Their Twitter followers have tripled since the Observer has been watching.
The Collegiate reported that two people have been killed by gunshot, including one police officer, and the gunman, who has been identified as a white male in gray sweatpants, is still at large.
