Repeating Stories
Even during the first press conference there were numerous instances of similar questions being asked, of requests for the same information; it was as if the press were willing Steger to offer a different explanation. This is not unusual at press conferences, as questioners try to squeeze out every ounce of information they can from a speaker. Such questioning can, however, present an opportunity for an accomplished speaker; they allow for the consistent repetition of information, thus the opportunity to establish a storyline of sorts.
Additional press contacts on the 16th and 17th offered this same opportunity for President Steger to reiterate Tech’s version of events. For example, during a brief interview with Katie Couric, President Steger had the opportunity to again revisit previous topics. Notice the tighter nature of his story:
Well, as you know, there were two shooting events. And the first one we got the 911 call about 7:15, and our security people thought it was confined to that particular incident. Two young people in a dorm room. We immediately locked down. . .
COURIC: That was when a gunman came to a freshman dorm. . .
STEGER: Right. Well, we didn’t know at the time. It could have been a murder/suicide, for example. We just didn’t know. So we quickly closed the dormitory and began interviewing witnesses to determine what we could. We were also looking for a murder weapon at the time. But nevertheless, it’s exceedingly troubling. And then what subsequently followed is difficult to comprehend, the tragedy that has occurred today.[27]
As do others, Couric asked, “why was there not a lockdown on campus when there was a suspect at large, even thought the authorities thought he had left the campus. . . ."[28] To which Steger crisply replied, “One, you have to appreciate the campus is like a city. We have 26,000 students, 10,000 employees, hundreds of buildings. And we also have 9,000 students who live here, but another 14,000 in transit coming into their first classes. So we were acting based on the advice of our security people at the time where they thought this incident had occurred. We weren’t even sure there was another suspect at that point in time."[29]
At the next press conference, President Steger offered a statement. His relaying of facts was even smoother, more tightly focused; in one sense, pre-empting press questions.
At 7:15 AM, Virginia Tech Police received a 911 call to respond to a dormitory room....Within minutes...two gunshot victims [were found]. The residence hall was immediately secured...and students within the Hall were notified and asked to remain in their rooms for their safety. Virginia Tech police...began questioning dorm residents....[It] was believed the deaths were an isolated incident, domestic in nature. [A] safety perimeter [was established] around the residence hall....At 7:30 AM, investigators were following up on leads concerning the person of interest....Investigators from the Virginia Tech police and Blacksburg police were actively following up on various levels. At 8:25, the...leadership team assembles ...and began assessing the developing situation...and determining a means of notifying students of the homicide. At 9:00 AM, a team was briefed. At 9:26, the Virginia Tech community...that’s about 36,000 e-mails, were notified of a homicide investigation....The Virginia Tech emergency red alarm recording were also transmitted, and a broadcast telephone message was made to campus phones. A press release was...posted on the Virginia Tech website. At 9:45, the Virginia Tech police received a 911 call of a shooting at Norris Hall. [They] immediately responded. [We] were actually having a meeting about the earlier shooting when we got word on the radio that another shooting was underway. Upon arrival to Norris, the officers found the front doors barricaded. Within a minute, the officers breached the doors....The officers discovered the gunman, who had taken his own life. And at 9:55, by the same means as prior notice, Virginia Tech notified campus community of the second murder scene.[30]
 Still, the question of timing lingered: “Are you satisfied with the decision made that your leadership being...STEGER: I went to the timeline. And I think it’s very important that before you take these actions, you know what the facts are. And it takes some time to do that. Based on that, I think we did everything we could, based on what we knew at that time."[31] One reporter raised the issue of closing campus: “REPORTER: The chief [Wendell Flinchum] considered...blocking off the roads into campus. Did you consider telling everybody to just go and go quickly? You waited a long time. STEGER: [L]eaving campus is a significant event. If you know that we have 9,000 on campus, but we have 26,000 all together. If you add together our part-time and full-time employees, we have 10,000 employees. [W]e also have, on any given day, literally several thousands of visitors. So we did block off Washington Street immediately...and then subsequently...we shut down the entire campus with barricades ...But it’s not something that can happen instantaneously...."[32]
Even after this, calls for explanation remained: In “an earlier press conference, you guys mentioned that, you guys knew about this, about—8:25 is the timeline....Why did it take a whole hour from 8:25 to 9:26....Why [wasn’t] an e-mail was sent as soon as you’ve heard...
STEGER: Well, we were trying to determine what had happened, and in interviewing witnesses and things of this sort. And until you know what the facts are, it’s difficult to craft what the appropriate response is."[33]
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