Some perspective

Part of the disconnect, I think, that has surfaced in the aftermath of George Zinkhan's shooting spree is that this was an event that focused on the University of Georgia ... hence these students' responses calling for a lock-down of the campus. This is something that been perpetuated in the national media coverage, though not really by the local media (since, you know, those reporters actually deal with this community).

The only connection to UGA was the fact that Zinkhan was employed as a professor. The victims were individuals he had some manner of personal relationship with, and they lacked a direct connection to the university. The actual shooting took place off campus, and Zinkhan left the scene and fled to his neighborhood in Bogart before heading off to parts unknown.

If you're a new reporter at CNN or some youngster trying to work your way up the ladder by pulling the weekend shift at WSB, it makes sense to think 'UGA professor on the loose, campus gripped with fear' ... but, of course, that's a naive take on the situation that, quite frankly, is patently misleading.

And the fact that UGA President Michael Adams gave the greenlight to have campus police patrol the grounds with semi-automatic weapons only exacerbated a non-existent threat ... particularly since Athens-Clarke County police had repeatedly said there was no evidence to suggest Zinkhan was still in the area or targeting students.

I know the kneejerk reaction for many is to think automatically of UGA, but doing so in this case only heightened fears in a jittery community.

This is a tragedy for all of the community, not just UGA.