NBC, right or wrong to release Virginia Tech killer's video??
By astromama
@astromama (1221)
United States
April 19, 2007 11:50am CST
Everywhere we look, this little punks face is plastered, looking angry, disturbed, with a gun to the camera. is this right to be displaying his image everywhere so soon after such a tragedy? Don't the parents and friends need time to grieve without having to have the last image their loved ones saw splashed over every television in the country, over and over again? This reminds me of 911, when they played the footage of the towers collapsing, ceaselessly and to the dismay of people who just wanted to grieve and move on. How can we move on if the media keeps us in constant reminder of the horrible thing that JUST happened? I think it's tasteless that NBC released the pictures and video so soon, just for the increased ratings. It shows no respect to stick a microphone in some kids face so soon after their near death experience just to get a bigger, better angle on the 'story'. I'm sick to death of the way our media sensationalizes everything in this country, and ultimately gives this guy what he wanted... notoriety and fame. If this wasn't his wish, why would he send a package like that to NBC? What do you think about all this? Is it right to show these images in the interest of full dislosure, or is it disrespectful?
6 people like this
14 responses
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I think that they should have waited a month or two to release the video, but at least most of us all know this person is. Frankly, all I can say about this guy is that he is disturbed, and that he was clearly an victim of abuse and that was the reason he went off the way he did. Abuse is different for all people, some people handle it and turn it into something positive and help others, and then some do not handle it and they turn it into more pain for themselves or for others.
@mememama (3076)
• United States
19 Apr 07
I'm really out of the loop with this. I can't watch the news because I don't want my toddler son to see that. So I had no clue they released that. But I agree, our society has a weird morbid fascination with this stuff. Even if there's an accident on the side of the road, everyone has to stop and look at it. I was exposed to body parts being everywhere at a young age because of slow traffic-sick! I really don't think it's right to show all of this, but again we have the freedom to show such things, and thankfully the freedom to turn the television off.
2 people like this
@vanities (11395)
• Davao, Philippines
20 Apr 07
i dont thik it is a disrespectful..it is our right to knwo who really was this guy who just do such things without thinking about the others and himself..its a fresh news for them and it of course their rating goes up due to this developements..thats what are media for to earned and at the same time informed us..
1 person likes this
@astromama (1221)
• United States
20 Apr 07
So our right to be informed supercedes the rights of the victim's families?
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
20 Apr 07
I watched the video and was racked with grief. I wish I had not seen it.
But it is news and they received it for whatever reason, so they had the right to air it. I think I will leave the news off for a few days because I do not want to see it agian. I think if the families want to do the same it would be for the best.
1 person likes this
@pebbles_cubbie (3789)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I think they are right to release the video. We need to know what this guy did and his reasonings behind it. They always show this stuff right after tragedies. Just because it's one state doesn't mean the rest of the country can't know about it. I do think they need to grieve. I think it's rediculous that they have to keep replaying it so much. That does get old. Like the Anna Nicole thing. They replayed that so much they made everybody sick. He sent the package to NBC because he just wants to be seen and noticed for what he did.
1 person likes this
@lossforredwords (3620)
• Philippines
20 Apr 07
I can understand your point but I think the media has the responsibility to let us know the full view of the story.. I think this may serve as a wake up call to all the parents to have a more closer look to there children if they are still in a good state or if they are still ok.
Plus I think the more the media hide this video, there could be a commotion or people will be just curious about it and most worst scenario some stupid kid may think of something like imagining things of how the video looks like and do it by themselves.
The video inform us more of the reason why the shooter did it and what is the reason behind it.
Forgetting and forgiving depends on how we accept the truth.. we don't have to blind ourselves just to move on.
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
22 Apr 07
Thankfully I have not seen this. I have seen his face but not the video. I didn't even know there was one! But then again I avoid watching the news because of things like this.
That does sound distasteful! And you are correct about him wanting fame if he sent the video to NBC. And what the hell good is fame anyway if you are not around to enjoy it.
Well for that matter what good is negative fame anyway?
@angelofdeath (345)
• Philippines
20 Apr 07
that was just right for NBC and everybody deserves to know what the real cause of the killer is.. at least we knew what was on his mind and why he shooted those people..
it was the most horrible video i have seen..
just imagine that! we have just seen the face of the person who shooted those poor people..
however we cannot hide the possibilty that those who belong to that man's rave might be dicriminated in our society but i think nothings wrong with that.
@astromama (1221)
• United States
20 Apr 07
You think there is nothing wrong with discriminating against Asians because of one person's actions? I cannot believe that... and it's 'shot', not 'shooted', by the way.
@chaygylmommy (2470)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I do believe these people need to have time to grieve, but I also think that NBC really handled the distribution of this tape very nicely and very classy. It's so easy to argue both sides of the issue of whether or not the tape should have been shown. For me, personally, I find it very intriguing and interesting to see the tape...I am really into the psychology of people and the mind and what makes people tick and do the things they do. I think a lot of people are interested in who this guy was, what he looked like, why he did what he did. Even though the tape didn't explain that, we did get a glimpse of this poor man's existence. I feel sorry for all the killed and injured and their family and friends, but I do also feel for this young man who obviously had mental problems for a long long time and nobody reached out to him and tried to help. Yes, he was sent to counseling and thrown out of a class, but no doctor really got down and tried to really help him. So, he also have a family and friends who need grieving.
@kiwikidz (753)
• New Zealand
20 Apr 07
I wondered at the time of this video shown on the news if he thought he would die before this video came to air. I feel that there is two ways of looking at this video being shown, one is that it shows young people out there that they also if of the same bent, could go and do the same, far too much exposure I think. Also the other way of looking at it, is too show the horrible side of a persons nature and to try to deter it from ever happening again. I feel at the moment there is far too much exposure for young people, through sites where they can do nasty horrible things to one another through videos that can be shown to thousands of people every day.
@micfac7 (158)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I agree that the media takes advantages and sometimes there's overkill on how much they play/display media. However...the controversy is about making this kid a martyr by playing his messages. Well, while I'm sure it was creepy and heartbreaking for the families and others to watch....I'm sure it was the same or worse to watch the World Trade Centers falling repeatedly for months on TV/News. Not just NBC played those images back then. NBC just happened to receive the package. They are obligated to release the news to us, especially if they had an exclusive. Other news channels displayed the same images after they were aired as well as the internet. I agree with someone on here who said that the families should know if they watch the news right now, immediately following such an event, that they would possibly see horrific stuff. I don't think anyone is viewing this Cho guy as a martyr, unless they have some sick frame of mind as well....and nothing would change that, whether it was aired or not, in my opinion.
@wachit14 (3595)
• United States
20 Apr 07
They were wrong. They had exclusive rights to these videos and photos and they chose to release them on the heels of the worst massacre in the history of our country. How could it feel to the parents whose children he slaughtered? What did they really learn that they didn't already know about this guy? He got to say his part, while their children never got to say good-bye.
@ladylapulapu (81)
• Philippines
20 Apr 07
for me nbc has a right whatever they want to do in the tape... the killer sent it to nbc to inform the people why he need to that.... nbc doin they job as a source of news
reporting. you cant blame nbc but the most important now is to pray for the victim ..
