That other American tradition: after a mass shooting, the media comes to town

The day after the shooting at Robb elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, hundreds of town residents filled the bleachers of the county Fairplex Arena for a vigil. Also there were dozens of local, national and international reporters, ready to record up close a town mourning the loss of 19 children and two teachers gunned down inside their classroom.

Reporters were asked not to approach people in the bleachers during the vigil, but some residents still struggled to grieve amid the clicks of cameras. As two crying women held each other, a cameraman stepped in front of them to capture the moment. Looking disheartened, one woman shooed him away and shook her head.

In Uvalde, a small Latino community of 16,000 in south-west Texas, residents welcomed the sudden surge of journalists as a sign of support, but were also utterly overwhelmed.

But teachers and family members of the victims say they have also been bombarded with phone calls from journalists and knocks at their doors. The constant questions about the fresh tragedy can be painful, residents say. On Thursday, a trail of cameras followed a grieving and emotional family as they left the site of a memorial. Local journalists have called for their media colleagues to allow families to grieve privately.

In some cases, the scenes have echoed those following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, and in Sutherland Springs after a 2017 church shooting.