Whenever there is a large, breaking news event, many things happen. More so when there is tragedy.

Families are affected and lives are lost. People are looking for a place to grieve, a person to blame and for somebody to make sense of what’s going on. For news organizations, they’re tasked with reporting updates fast, being accurate and analyzing nuances that delve into the sad, dramatic and at times — political. WBEZ staffers wanted to give users a glimpse at what they’re reading, watching and listening to online.

Afternoon Shift Host Steve Edwards recommends:

This story from the LA Times:
Colorado shooting: Witnesses tell of surreal death scene

This is from the Denver Post:
Video, maps, etc – lots of reaction and context from eyewitnesses and public officials, plus a map of key locations

Eight Forty-Eight Host Tony Sarabia recommends:

When tragedies like this occur in our present political climate I’m always interested to hear how politicians from both parties handle themselves in particular the two presidential candidates.

This is from the Christian Science Monitor:
Colorado shootings bring a brief ‘truce’ on the campaign trail

WBEZ host and cultural reporter Alison Cuddy recommends:

Despite the calls to not make the event “about politics” pundits across the political spectrum are pointing to the shootings as evidence a need to tighten gun laws or defend certain religious beliefs. But the personal stories of those inside have hit me the hardest, like the story of this young, aspiring sports journalist, who just missed getting caught in a recent mall shooting in Toronto.

This from Deadspin:
Aspiring Sportscaster Among 12 Killed At Colorado Movie Theater; Last Blog Entry Was First-Person Account Of Eaton Centre Shootings

wbez.org Web Producer Kate Dries recommends:

I tend to hate coverage of events like these in general because it becomes a little heavy on the fearmongering, but when I need to know what’s happening with a developing story I always go to the NYTimes lede blog – they thoughtfully incorporate crowdsourced multimedia like Youtube clips and tweets with on the ground reporting. This shooting is no exception.

From the New York Times:
Live Updates on Movie Theater Shooting in Colorado | Video: Denver Movie Theater Shooting

WBEZ midday producer Katie O’Brien recommends:

David Sirota, Colorado radio host and In These Times senior editor, wrote an interesting piece for Salon today. Alison Cuddy interviewed him on 848 last year about his book, Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now; it was a really interesting conversation. 

From Salon.com:
Call it “terrorism”

Political reporter Sam Hudzik recommends:

Seems like a lot of noise right now. Here’s one that has links to info about one of the victims – an “aspiring sportscaster” who Tweeted from the theater.

From Jim Romenesko:
‘BRING AS MUCH CRIME SCENE TAPE AS YOU CAN’

Multimedia Producer Robin Amer recommends:

In memory of Jessica Redfield, aspiring journalist killed in shootings. She had survived mass shooting in the food court of a Toronto mall:

From the Denver Post:
To my friend Jessica:

wbez.org Web Producer Andrew Gill recommends:

This is not a reflection on my feelings on our work today, but it did make me stop and think.

From the AWL:
Infographic: Should You Cover a Piece of Tragic Breaking News?

wbez.org Digital Content Editor Tim Akimoff recommends:

This reddit timeline offfers a minute-to-minute update of breaking news, how and when it was covered.

From Reddit:
Comprehensive timeline: Aurora Massacre

wbez.org Web Producer Elliott Ramos recommends:

I sympathize with other news outlets, having worked in a breaking news enviroment most of my adult life. But in almost every case, I appreciate there being a seasoned editor who says this doesn’t smell right. Those guys are the ones that always preserve the integrity of a news outlet when things are flying fast.

From Politico:
ABC News apologizes for ‘incorrect’ tea party report