NBC has released self-made video of the Virginia Tech shooter. All over TV this evening. Right or wrong?

The tape was mailed to NBC so they can do with it what they will. If they decide to air it, they're within their rights to do so.

The decision to watch it, however, remains with the viewer.

Yep.

as far as I saw it, sure, that material was out there, but I have no responsibility to pass on this sick freak's Seven-esque diatribe onto the listener. There's news and then there's enabling a mass murderer to get exactly what he wanted by disseminating his message for him.

If the media didn't do "enabling" there would be a heck of a lot less news to report.

You don't know for a fact if this is "exactly what he wanted".

Report the news and keep your emotions in check. I'll make up my own mind what is news and what is "enabling."

If it wasn't "What he wanted" Then why did he send it to a news station? c'mon.

I also had the luxury of not indulging this guys wishes because I knew NBC would hurry up and give the guy airtime to rant nonsensically and pose for the camera. That made it easier for me. So anyone who wanted to "make up their own mind" would find it if they really wanted to, for whatever reason.

News would be reporting the fact that he submitted evidence to NBC inbetween the shootings that contained a jumbled, almost incoherent screed and a bunch of posed pictures with guns. That pretty much satisfies the "news" quotient. Anything beyond that is, just looking at it on a common sense level, giving the guy what he wanted. He sent a multimedia manifesto to a major news corporation--you honestly think getting on TV with this WASN'T at any point part of his plan in executing as many people as possible?

If it was Zodiac and there was the threat of more murders happening if the news didn't comply with his requests, that'd be one thing. But it's not, the situation is totally different and nothing he posed for or said actually ADDS to the facts of the story in any way, it's just ugly embellishment for the sake of shocking pictures and mumbled content.

Albert Fish wrote a letter of confession before he was executed. That was "news" as well. Maybe 20 years later was the letter finally revealed. Today that letter would be the front page of newsweek. It's just, for me, I'm not entirely sure that's an IMPROVEMENT in the field of journalism in any way.

Besides, I'm not even a journalist, I'm a guy who tells jokes between rock records, so I have even MORE wiggle room to play in. It made sense to me, for me, so that's how we played it.

As a joke guy, you were right to not give the guy any more airtime than he deserves. I don't know how NBC aired the tape, but hopefully they handled it professionally without sensationalizing it (that's you FOX). A few seconds video that sums of the gist of the tape would all that would be needed and Brian Williams can just move on to the next story.

Look at The O from this morning on the front page. That one photo pretty much summed it up for me. Had they not run the photo, I'd still be wondering what "message" he had. Now I know and can formulate better opinions of the guy.

Backlash Leads to Pullback on Cho Video

Apr 19 02:31 PM US/Eastern
By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer


NEW YORK (AP) - With a backlash developing against the media for airing sickening pictures from Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui, Fox News Channel said Thursday it would stop and other networks said they would severely limit their use.
NBC News was the recipient Wednesday of Cho's package of rambling, hate-filled video and written messages, with several pictures of him posing with a gun. Contents began airing on "Nightly News," and its rivals quickly used them, too.

Family members of victims canceled plans to appear on NBC's "Today" show Thursday because they "were very upset" with the network for showing the pictures, "Today" host Meredith Vieira said.

Virginia State Police Col. Steve Flaherty—who praised NBC Wednesday for coming to authorities first with the package—said Thursday he was disappointed with what the network showed.

"I just hate that a lot of people not used to seeing that type of image had to see it," he said.

NBC said the material was aired because it helped to answer the question of why Cho killed 32 people and himself on the Virginia Tech campus Monday.

"The decision to run this video was reached by virtually every news organization in the world, as evidenced by coverage on television, on Web sites and in newspapers," NBC said in a statement. "We have covered this story—and our unique role in it—with extreme sensitivity, underscored by our devoted efforts to remember and honor the victims and heroes of this tragic incident."

NBC and its MSNBC cable outlet will "severely limit" use of these pictures going forward, "Today" host Matt Lauer said, a restriction echoed by ABC News. At both CBS News and CNN, producers will need explicit approval from their bosses to use them going forward.

Fox News announced on the air late Thursday morning that it would no longer air Cho's material, saying "sometimes you change your mind."

These decisions, of course, came more than 12 hours after the pictures became available, after they already made their impact. The news cycle dictates they would be used less, anyway.

"It has value as breaking news," said ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider, "but then becomes practically pornographic as it is just repeated ad nauseam."

Jon Klein, president of CNN U.S., said the decision to air it was a tough call.

"As breaking news, it's pertinent to our understanding of why this was done," he said. "Then, once the public has seen the material and digested it, then it's fair to say, `How much should we be showing it?' I think it's to the credit of news organizations that they are dialing back."

NBC News said it had no indication why Cho chose it for his message. A Postal Service time stamp shows it was mailed at 9:01 a.m. Monday, during the two hours between his first shooting at a Virginia Tech dorm and his massacre at a classroom building.

___

NBC News is owned by General Electric Co. ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CNN is owned by Time Warner Inc. Fox News Channel is owned by News Corp.



Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.





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I think that this is a tough balancing act between NBC and other news outlets trying to tell the story and the temptation to use shocking images to get ratings. Naturally, people want to know, "why did this guy go on a shooting rampage?" News outlets want to satisfy this curiosity. Cho conveniently mails his manifesto to NBC.

I haven't seen the video, but I would think that at least a few excerpts could be used to demonstrate something about Cho's mental state to the viewer without simply becoming a soapbox for Cho to air out his dirty laundry. Right?

I found the video deeply disturbing. Do I want to censor NBC and others from airing it? Absolutely not.

I do find it interesting that media are reacting to the backlash, instead of "milking" it for more...I think CNN, Fox, etc. made the right move on this one, albeit a lot of the "damage" was already done.

Well but, without this video we would all have had to wonder about " why and how " quite a bit more than we have to now. I think, while it stings to see it, it serves a good enough purpose to see it for ourselves. When you SEE a person saying those things, as opposed to reading them or hearing about them, it gives you a sense about that person much more than any other way. In fact, I think it's relatively valuable.

Admittedly, I have no idea what I would do with that insight - and it's not like I am in some regular position to make a call one way or another on his...disturbishnessousness...ahem - there is something revealing about it that makes it easier to close the book on him in my mind: The guy was not some damaged yet rational person who obviously knew right from wrong and was over-reacting from being bullied - that kid was bent. Totally mental. You can see it. And I'm glad I saw it for myself.