I could have seen this coming.
An article by Associated Press television writer David Bauder reports:
"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."
Within minutes of the news yesterday that NBC had received a "multimedia manifesto" from the Virginia Tech gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, images and video segments from the package were posted on the MSNBC Web site, and aired and re-aired throughout the evening.
Some journalists -- most, probably -- would argue that Cho's message have news value that makes it worth airing. I disagree. I didn't think it was sensitive to the grief of the survivors or the families of the victims. And I think it sensationalizes Cho's actions, setting the stage for copycats to try to emulate the media attention that he managed to achieve, even in his death.
On the Poynter Web site, ethics group leader Kelly McBride discusses NBC's decision to air excerpts of the video, photos and text sent to the network in a podcast. The Poynter Institute is a school for journalists, future journalists, and teachers of journalists.
What do you think?
Personally I'm getting sick of seeing images of this person posing with his guns and airing his laundry list of grievances. The fact that a video was made was legitimate news, but I'd prefer if the networks just summarized the content, and perhaps made it available on their Web sites for those whose professional interests or morbid curiousity make them want to see it.
And I'm afraid that there may be something to the fear that other mentally unbalanced people will crave the same sort of attention, even post-humously. Wasn't Cho fascinated by the coverage of Columbine? Will the next mass-murderer be emulating him?
Regardless of how the truth is brought to the attention of the American people, it should be presented.
That's why TV manufacturers put power buttons on TV's. They CAN be turned off...
But those who tend to ignore history are doomed to repeat it...
If anything, an open dialogue should be introduced and maintained in communities to help bring about ideas for resolving situations like this, and, at the very least, facilitate disclosure of those people who suffer mental health issues or depression.
The news value of the video from this sick gunman is or was worth nothing compared to one tear from those victim's families. Airing the video, in some way, may just encourage others to copy this. No I don't think using this video in any way, except for law enforcement, is appropriate.
It should not have been aired. It was incredibly insensitive and provided no real answers anyways, except to show that this man was crazy. He rambled on without giving specific events that seemed to cause his grief. The whole thing was pointless.
i'm never sure, i did watch it, it is news.... would i have lost anyting if it didn't air? no....
i read a very insightful column if anyone is intersted here is the link
http://joeleonardi.wordpress.com/2007/04/19/cho-seung-hui-%e2%80%94-the-face-of-evil/
The airing of Cho Seung-Hui's psychotic rantings only served to lend credibility to his actions; And individuals, already filled with the violent perversions of a degraded culture that is rapidly slipping away from it's Judeo-Christian foundations, will use his actions to justify their own. It gave a mass murderer a platform to speak, albeit from the grave. (Maybe it's true that there was not a media outlet in America that wouldn't have first broadcast Cho's video had it fallen into their hands).
The Three Stooges must be running NBC. What were they thinking! Are ratings that important?
What kind of a policy is it that bashes Imus but gives a sympathetic hearing to a mass murderer?
NBC claims, "Upon receiving the materials from Cho Seung-Hui, NBC News took careful consideration in determining how the information should be distributed." I don't think so!
(This from an internet news item): "Authorities put all 36 schools in 12 Northern California school districts under lock-down Thursday as police searched for a man who claimed he was planning an armed attack that would 'make Virginia Tech look mild.'" NBC is giving someone ideas!
Several decades ago, liberal and politically correct court decisions determined that the rights of the high risk mentally ill were being violated and that they were to be released into society (deinstitutionalization), for the most part, without supervision, allowing them to self-medicate. Public safety was no longer a priority. Cho was declared mentally ill by a court, but nothing was done and he was walking around a danger to everybody. Ya gotta wonder if bureaucrats were so fearful of offending somebody's perceived rights that they caved in to political correctness.
I agree that we need to rethink the publicity we give to situations like this. I do think it is news and should be available but with the Internet so readily available NBC could have easily posted the video without airing it. I have to admit that I did look at some of it on the Web when I first heard it was available and I've watched it on TV since then. I think many of us just want to try and understand how this could happen. But I don't think it should be plastered on the TV where victims families or children will see it.
During one news broadcast, the comment was made that
in the past people like Cho would've committed suicide rather than mass murder plus suicide. The media focus and attention on previous binge killings apparently may affect the thoughts and impulses of susceptible minds. Airing the video showed bad judgement and a reckless disregard for the general welfare of all students and families.
Sure, you can always just turn the television off. But that doesn't make it go away. Think back to when you were a kid in school. Anything that you weren't allowed to see, somebody at school had seen it and was sharing every detail on the way to school, during recess, during lunch, and after school. Of course, nowadays the kids have cell phones, email, instant messaging, and internet access. Making the video only accessible online certainly wouldn't have prevented most children from seeing it. And it would still add fuel to the fire for those individuals like Cho.
Perhaps the victims' families of the next copycat will pursue a lawsuit against the media who ran the video. And maybe now our government will revisit ways to take care of the mentally ill.
in virginia, crazy people can legally buy and own automatic weapons....i forget, what are we talking about?