Q: Should NBC have run, or even distributed the crazed manifesto of the Virginia Tech killer?
A: No.
Let’s be clear. The guy was crazy. And hateful. And he wanted fame. And he succeeded because they ran the video. There is only one logical conclusion other crazy hateful people who want fame can draw from this. Record it, distribute it, and you will get your 15 minutes of MSM coverage.
Dave Winer, at scripting news, uses lots of words in a subsequent post to talk around the issue. But his original call for the release of the videos was wrong. There is right. And there is wrong. And that is wrong.
Minutes after I heard there was a video, I vowed never to watch any of it. Cho doesn’t deserve my attention. Ironic that Fox News, considered by many to be one of the more sensationalist media outlets, displayed common sense and restraint while the traditional old guard outlets are now waffling. Do you think it’s curious that he would send the tapes to NBC instead of posting the footage to YouTube or something like that? I guess I can understand that doing so could have given away his identity before he could get to Norris, but leaving the post untitled and untagged would have delayed discovery. Maybe I’m underestimating how quickly that stuff would spread on the Internet. Look at how quickly the alleged picture of him on Flickr spread, even without confirmation that the photo is actually him.
Posted on April 21, 2007 at 7:54 am.
The moment I heard that Cho had a video I vowed never to watch it. He doesn’t deserve my attention. Ironic that Fox News, conisdered by many to be among the most sensational outlets displayed common sense restraint and decided to stop airing the video cold turkey, while the old guard networks are pandering. Do you think it’s curious that Cho didn’t post the video to YouTube or something instead of sending it to NBC? Maybe I underestimate the quickness of the viral effect. Just look at how quickly the alleged picture of him as Ismail Axe spread on Flickr in the middle of this week. Can’t find that picture now. What’s going on?
BTW, I like the new blog skin.
Posted on April 21, 2007 at 8:00 am.
The moment I heard that Cho had a video I vowed never to watch it. He doesn’t deserve my attention. Ironic that Fox News, conisdered by many to be among the most sensational outlets displayed common sense restraint and decided to stop airing the video cold turkey, while the old guard networks are pandering. Do you think it’s curious that Cho didn’t post the video to YouTube or something instead of sending it to NBC? Maybe I underestimate the quickness of the viral effect. Just look at how quickly the alleged picture of him as Ismail Axe spread on Flickr in the middle of this week. Can’t find that picture now. What’s going on?
BTW, I like the new blog skin.
Posted on April 21, 2007 at 8:01 am.