A Russian plane crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, killing all 224 people on board, on Oct. 31.

Unfortunately, most of the media outlets have centered on whose fault the incident is, rather than analyzing the implications of the situation.

The Sinai Peninsula is currently a location of an insurgency by supporters of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

ISIL claimed that it caused the demise of the Russian Airbus (Airbus A321), and allegedly they have video evidence, which, according to experts, could not be verified as authentic.

ISIL claimed this action was retaliation for Russia’s recent involvement in the region of Syria.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail assured that experts had claimed that, given ISIL’s artillery, they would not have been able to shoot down a plane at such a high altitude. Experts have also suggested it could have been a bomb or sabotage that caused the plane’s abrupt descent, and not a missile shot from the ground.

Currently, Egyptian, Russian and French teams have been investigating the crash site of the plane, and have yet to come to a clear conclusion. In any case, it is still too early to cast the blame on any country or party involved.

Kogalymavia, the company who owned the plane, said “The only reasonable explanation is that it was (due to) external influence,” as stated by a senior airline official.

“The only (explanation) for the plane to have been destroyed in midair can be specific impact, purely mechanical, physical influence on the aircraft,” declared the deputy airline official at a news conference in Moscow.

This is what the Western media focused on. The primary object was determining the cause of the crash, and more importantly, whose fault it was. The media is focusing on the wrong aspects of this incident.

Instead of simply focusing on information that readers will be drawn to, a primary focus of the media should be to explain and underline the impact of an event and the atmosphere it creates. This demonstrates the irresponsibility of the media to inform citizens of the importance of an issue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the crash was an “enormous tragedy,” and an Egyptian officer who inspected that scene stated “a tragic scene, a lot of dead on the ground and many who died whilst strapped to their seats.”

Although the Russian media also made speculations and assumptions about the cause of the incident and, ultimately, who is responsible for such a disaster, the primary focus seemed to be making sense of the event, and especially the mourning of the 224 deceased.

“The whole world mourns the victims of the air disaster,” stated LifeNews TV, a Russian TV network.

The St. Petersburg Pulkovo International Airport has now become a sort of memorial for all those who passed. Along the entrance, hundreds of people have come to place flowers and toys to commemorate the loss.

Priests read every single name of the deceased the same day. Candles were lit, and social media erupted in support and wishes of condolences for the families that suffered loss.

In Russia, a national day of mourning was announced, and citizens took time out of their day to take action and let the collateral of the incident sink in.

It is incredibly disappointing to watch the focus of the media be the analysis and blaming of whoever is responsible. This tragedy has immensely affected an entire nation, and it is important to understand for future events that people are naturally sensitive to tragedies such as this one.

Bogdan (Theo) Mynka is a freshman studying music from Kharkiv, Ukraine. He can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.