NBC Has Done the Math...

There was a time when a tragedy of such proportions would prompt me to pick up the newspaper the following day or a news magazine during the week to get my "summary" about what happened/why it might have happened etc. I would sit for a few minutes, read the text, make my judgements - agree or disagree, understand or still not understand. And then be done with it - until the next print story on this news. Maybe watch a 1/2 hour evening news show to catch up, but for me, more than likely rely on the written word to become informed.

Today, Americans sit for HOURS in front of the tube- especially news channels during times like this week - surely they will sit there for that 2.4 hours and likely many more - because they can and sometimes it seems, they THRIVE on seeing the whole travesty played over and over, disecting in and out. It is apparently a lot harder to pick your duff up off the couch and flip the remote off than it is to drop the newspaper and go on with your day.

The killer gets what he wants, the networks get their viewers and folks like me (and you?) get perturbed at the thought of it all.

All this press release does is give the NBC networks more publicity. The release states, "We did not rush the material onto air, but instead consulted with local authorities." I don't question that, but except for one photo broadcast on MSNBC... the network chose wo withhold the main components of what was in that package until the East Coast version of its NBC Nightly News broadcast. THAT is what bothers me. It's rare that a news broadcast operation becomes part of the story, but that's what happened here. NBC should have come out with all the information, photos, videos from shooter's package at the very moment authorities gave them the OK.. and not waited for Brian Williams.

Please explain how releasing Cho's delusional, persecutory martyrdom manifesto was appropriate. By providing Cho an audience you have likely encouraged other deranged individuals of like mind to attempt a similar atrocity to avenge their persecution and achieve a delusional martyrdom. The "glory" NBC provided Cho is an obscene insult to the victims, their families and the student body of Virginia Tech.

Please don't try to hide behind a statement like, "I don't want NBC News taking it on themselves to decide how to use their work to make us a better, happier society." That is the a variation on the very weak, "Our job is just to report." argument. Under that concept, the media would have no problem reporting the names of rape victims. But the media DOES realize the it can do a service to individuals (and society) by omitting the names of rape victims. So why is this different?
Simple. Because the pictures and rants of mass murderers generate big ratings. As a result people like you will try to defend the idea of publishing them.
Publishing Cho's pictures & video was shameful - trying to defend it with that kind of logic is simply embarrasing.

We Americans are being disaster tourists, thanks to the 24 hour news cycle. We've given up our civil rights in response to the fear generated by our news organization. Neither President Bush, VP Cheney or CNN or MSNBC are meeting the aircraft landing with the military dead at Dover AFB DE; out of respect for the dead. News organizations should give the families of the VT students the same respect. Cho was mentally ill and needed treatment. Somehow or another he didn't get it, that's his story, find out why, don't just show the symptom of his illness for profit.

I have mixed feelings about giving attention to people like Cho. When Timothy McVeigh bombed the Murrah Fedral building exactly 12 years ago today, I was in my office about 6 blocks away. My wife was in her office about 4 blocks away and our son was at his preschool about 8 blocks away. We were deeply affected by McVeigh's actions. We had to evacute downtown. My wife had to board a plane and fly to another city as part of her company's disaster recovery plan because there was damage to their building. I drove past that building twice a day to take my son to school and pick him up. After the bombing, I spent weeks and months having to circle miles around downtown to get him to school. I remember the National Guard patroling downtown with weapons.

I for one would have welcomed hearing from McVeigh why he did what he did. He was justifiably executed without ever saying a word. Let me tell you that it continues to haunt the many citizens of OKC who want to know WHY.

Was Cho deranged? Yes. Do we still want to know why he did what he did in his own words? Yes.

There is not a mass murderer out there that people don't ask WHY. Cho left a message. The news media have a responsibility to report it. The TV, radio and PC all have off buttons for those who don't want to hear it.

MC Miller,

The news media are not allowed by the government to meet the aircraft carrying the dead soldiers. Regardless of what you are told, it is not out of respect. It is an attempt to control the media and keep a positive spin on the war.

Eating sausage is a pleasant experience. Watching it being made gives you pause.

These are American media boys and girls...what did you think they were going to do?

In Jen's "comment of the day", all you have to do to make it accurate is to change wherever she uses "people" to "media. The people aren't crying out for what the media insists we want.....Most people aren't in to the blame game. The media was looking for someone to blame in the first 30 minutes of the shooting in Va.

Troy

Sorry, but other than hyping the ratings and market share, there is absolutely no useful purpose that was served in releasing that tape yesterday --- but significant risk in doing so.

What this tells a mentally deranged person is: You can get your "message" while people are still paying attention, and are looking to understand what happened. The fact that what is on the video appears to us to be the rantings of a madman -- but to the madman, its a profound statement that he wants heard -- that's why he recorded it.

None of the Columbine "manifesto" tapes were shown to the public until eight months after that tragedy -- and they were only excerpt that Time magazine had managed to get ahold of (The authorities withheld the full tapes even longer.)

Basically, but presenting Cho's "unmediated" manifesto during the media frenzy over this massacre, NBC (and everyone else who began endlessly repeating the same footage once it was released) may have increased the risk of additional "Historic...most people killed" tragedies.

Or perhaps "tragedies" should be put in quotes when discussing how the media has acted over the last four days (and counting). The media didn't treat this for what it was -- a wholly PRIVATE tragedy with no real national significance. For "professional journalism" this was hitting the jackpot -- a meaningless killing spree that required nothing but a lack of tact and discretion to cover, and that would get high ratings.

Again, this was a PRIVATE tragedy -- it didn't belong to us, at least until the media decided it was an event of national significance -- and the President disgracefully followed the lead of the media.

Its all well and good to say "you could just change the channel".... but not if you wanted to find out what the NEWS of the day was. The only way to get any clue about what else happened in the world from TV was if you were lucky enough to have BBC America as part of your cable package.

This was not OUR tragedy -- at least until the media force fed it to us.

And now, in the back of the twisted minds of every potential psycho killer is not merely the knowledge that your "importance" in the world would be noticed if you kill lots of people, but they now know that they can make a video with their "wisdom" and know that people won't just see it, but will "learn" it from endless repetition.

And if just one madman kills a half dozen kids because of this, we will at least know that all the talking heads putting on their professional "somber" looks and talking about how "tragic" and "sad" it all was, and all their expressions of sympathy for the victims and their families was just a dumb show.

**********
one final thought.... once the initial shock wore off, this became entertainment. Hell, John even did TWO posts highlighting the stupid things that people said -- not with any outrage at the media for giving idiots a microphone, but just for saying something stupid. Hell, he even turned it into a game --- here's what he wrote in an update to his Dr. Phil post....

"I'll be watching the coverage, but I've only got two eyes--feel free to post your choicest media absurdities or observations in the comments"

That statement is self-reflective -- it creates a list that it belongs on itself.

Its words like these that make me wonder what it is the media -- and its "professional" critics who are part of the media they cover -- think they are doing.

Violence and sex is like the mother's milk of this society. We are fascinated by this sort of thing. That's why the History Channel and A&E have produced countless documentaries profiling serial killers, mass murders, the Mafia and just plain homicide. They don't do it because they are interested in producing a product that won't yield ratings, but because they know that most of us will watch. Yes, NBC should be held morally accountable for showing as much as they did about Cho as they did, but they only provided the supply. It is this society's bloodlust that created the demand.

Did the media turn off their cameras during the collapse of the twin towers 9/11/2001? What about filming the devastation of Katrina? How about all those floating bodies the world had to witness after the Tsunami? The answer is NO. EVERY tragedy or loss of life is a personal and PRIVATE matter. The surviving family and friends certainly feel that to be so. Then why didn’t we shelter those victims from the regurgitating media and why should this be any different?

The families of the 9/11 victims still relive their personal hell on the news media. Why aren’t we sympathetic toward them? Loved ones continue to be able to witness their families and friends captured by the aforementioned natural disasters. So why didn't we censor that media to ease their pain?

I know loss, I know pain and I know how hurtful it can be to view these disturbing images. But I always had the option to see it or not. I could always turn off my TV. I could always turn off the Radio. I could always choose to not view internet media. Society must decide to censor everything or nothing.

Personally, I DO think the media in general over did it. I think it should have been broadcasted once, made available online and been done with it. But to cover America’s eyes is delusional. It’s similar putting a band aid on cancer. It is not going to change anything or reverse these horrific events. And not all of us are interested in the gore of it all. Some of us want to view it, analyze it and learn from it, so that perhaps we can see the warning signs in others and maybe even ourselves.

In our society, we are ignorant to mental illness. We brush these people aside and tell them to just “deal with it” and thus these are the extreme results of our indifference. Trust me, I have been in state metal hospitals and I can tell you first hand, most of the health care workers simply put, do not give a damn about metal disorders.

Some may argue that we are giving into his final wishes by continuing to broadcast these things. I think his final wishes were executed Monday morning.

Therefore, we SHOULD consider the victims, but uphold American’s right to subject ourselves to Cho’s manifesto. With all that said, my heart is with the families and friends that have survived these victims. I mourn for their loss and this has touched me in a dismal yet deeply profound way. So many innocent, bright lives should have never been taken away in this manner.

We should remember and honor these people by not pointing the finger of blame toward VT staff or the media, but focusing our rage and energies toward a brighter tomorrow and preventative measures to halt such brutal occurrences in the future.

And remember, you ALWAYS have a choice in what you in what you watch, hear, view and in your actions. Choose what best suits you. But don’t take our choice away.

"Did the media turn off their cameras during the collapse of the twin towers 9/11/2001? What about filming the devastation of Katrina? How about all those floating bodies the world had to witness after the Tsunami? The answer is NO. EVERY tragedy or loss of life is a personal and PRIVATE matter. The surviving family and friends certainly feel that to be so. Then why didn’t we shelter those victims from the regurgitating media and why should this be any different?"

Because there is a difference between a story that is a WHOLLY private tragedy, and one that is of national (or international) significance.

This was about NOTHING but the exploitation of personal tragedy and death. Hurricane stories get one (tops two) days of wall to wall coverage of the disaster aspect, then they fade. Katrina was an exception because the story wasn't the "hurricane", it was what happened for days and days afterwards. The tsunami --- despite the enormous devastation and death toll, didn't even get this kind of coverage (and at least in the case of natural disasters, publicity manages to serve the purpose of encouraging charitable contributions to people who have been wiped out.

The fact that you (and the President) have grown so addicted to cheap sensationalism that you can't differentiate between what is a matter of genuine national CONCERN, and what is a PRIVATE tragedy, just shows how corrosive is the media's willingness to fulfill our worst impulses for stimulation through vicarious experience.

well, youre not giving him anything, he iS DEAD you cant give a dead guy what he wants because he's dead. and there will always be people who have horrible lives that lead to their disposition
to violence, and they might act out, but airing this gives people insight into minds of killers. which makes people more aware of the type of people that they are, so next time theres a wierd guy who writes violent storries and stocks people, we will take action instead of expecting everything to turn out alright.
and instead of getting stuck in whats aleady done why cantyou numbnut take on a more challanging topic, like prohibiting guns? maybe?
jeeze...