The Social Media Uproar Over Harambe’s Death

Cameron Knight figured Saturday would be a good day to catch up on some weekend work. Barring any breaking news, he planned to finish a Memorial Day story and a piece on the anniversary of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire.

As the breaking news reporter at The Cincinnati Enquirer worked, he listened to the constant chatter of scanners in the background. The newsroom was mostly empty.

Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, Knight heard a report that a child had fallen into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

He listened in more closely. Police scanners have a rhythm, so he knew that soon an officer would check in from the zoo. And he knew it could also be a generalization. Maybe a child fell near the gorilla exhibit. Knight waited. Soon, that report from the zoo came in. Knight grabbed the bag he keeps ready, got into his car and headed for the zoo.

He was one of the first journalists to arrive, but by that time, it was all over. The male western lowland gorilla, Harambe, was dead. The story of what happened, how it happened and how the world would react was just getting started.

For the rest of this story, click here.