Question about "who" and "her"
Here speed was an asset; before the deceived could spread the deceptions, they themselves had joined the great audience that was forming. Lacking that celerity, lies could have been sown beyond hope of uprooting. Even as it was, most of the 76 million first heard of the tragedy through hearsay. It was a workday. The reputation of daytime television was low; for every housewife who enjoyed the pablum of "Bachelor Father" or "As the World Turns," there were perhaps a score who were occupied otherwise, and who were therefore alerted by her, sometimes at second or third hand. Word-of-mouth was the initial form of communication nearly everywhere, including the White House, whose private news agency was the U.S. Secret Service.]

in "who were therefore alteted by her", "who"is that 20 woman occupied otherwise, then, what does "by her "mean? what does "sometimes at second or third hand"mean?

Question

Question about "who" and "her"
Here speed was an asset; before the deceived could spread the deceptions, they themselves had joined the great audience that was forming. Lacking that celerity, lies could have been sown beyond hope of uprooting. Even as it was, most of the 76 million first heard of the tragedy through hearsay. It was a workday. The reputation of daytime television was low; for every housewife who enjoyed the pablum of "Bachelor Father" or "As the World Turns," there were perhaps a score who were occupied otherwise, and who were therefore alerted by her, sometimes at second or third hand. Word-of-mouth was the initial form of communication nearly everywhere, including the White House, whose private news agency was the U.S. Secret Service.]

in "who were therefore alteted by her", "who"is that 20 woman occupied otherwise, then, what does "by her "mean? what does "sometimes at second or third hand"mean?

Answer

'Her' refers to the housewife who enjoyed watching daytime television. She saw the news broadcast and alerted 20 of her friends who were 'otherwise occupied', meaning they were doing something other than watching TV. Most people heard about the assassinatior heard about it from someone else, not from seeing the broadcast themselves.

Answer

her = the housewife who enjoyed the pablum.....

Answer

Someone who witnesses the tragedy = witnessed 'first hand'
The person they tell about it it           = hears about it 'second hand'
The person they tell about it              = hears about it 'third hand'

This is the meaning of the sentence, 'most of the 76 million first heard of the tragedy through hearsay.'

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