To Run or Not to Run
Had we not been on Spring Break, I would have done a medianote on the tragedy at Virginia Tech. So if this topic seems a little dated, it is.
NBC News had a rough week. They received what they call a "multimedia manifesto" from deranged mass killer Cho Seung-Hui. It was an angry, semicoherent rant/confession/suicide note. So NBC News was faced with a classic newsroom dilemma: do you run it, do you not run it, and if you do run it what parts do you show and what do you leave out?
As we now know, NBC's decision was to run selected portions on the air and to turn the materials over to federal authorities. And, predictably, they are taking a lot of heat for running anything at all. Here's the National Public Radio story on the situation.
On a much less controversial note, here's an NPR story about how the student newspaper at Virginia Tech is covering the situation that suddenly enveloped them.
Gabcast! Club MediaNote #37
posted by Mike Eberts (AKA Your Humble Blogger) @ 1:52 PM
1 Comments:
I read the story, I listened to the story, I browsed through other sites containing updated information on the story; and I can honestly say I've never been more outraged at the media for giving more attention to a killer than to the victims of this terrible tragedy!! I was glad that we were on spring break last week, it gave me a time to settle my nerves, it also had friends, family, and fellow students calling and asking if I was all right. I was shaken by their concern and overwhelmed that I was loved enough to warrant a phone call or an email. This event brings Columbine back in full color and again displays more news about the killers than of those students whose lives were tragically ended by a madman. I think its ridicuously stupid that all of the experts on these kinds of events only came out of the woodwork to show us how this crime could have been prevented. All the signs were there in the beginning slapping people in the face for coming into contact with this guy and yet nothing was done. Nobody told Cho to grow up and get over his problems and accept life for what it was. Not even his own parents knew what he was up to. Clearly the problem started at home with a lack of communication and a shifting of responsibilities to blame somebody else for somebody else's problems. It's not just this event that warrants national coverage, we go through these events day in and day out...of people blaming other people, situations, events, whatever...and not taking RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS!!!!! Heads up everybody...if you're going to do something whether it be positive or negative, you had better be prepared to take responsibility in whatever you do. Stop shifting the blame, stop pointing the finger. There, I've had my little rant. Now I'm going to pack up, and get to class. Have a good day!
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