Hundreds of thousands of businesses and individuals pay public relations firms and publicists weighty retainers to get their messages out - to break through to an audience. Ford Motor Company wants you to know they're "bold." Obama wants you to know he's experienced enough to be President. I want you to know that I'm the witty go-to guy on American Idol commentary.
The demented Cho has managed to become not only a household name but also a legend in record time - and he didn't have to pay anyone to do it for him. Sending his press kit to NBC may be the only rational thing he did - since NBC News took the bait (in record time).
Here's a challenge: Give me a single upside to NBC showing the video, even the stills, from Cho's press kit. (Sorry, no prize this time.) Just one good thing that will come from this.
Last night, I watched MSNBC for about 45 minutes. Three different guests (one profiler and one psychotherapist included) made it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cho's "content" was worthless; that there was nothing to learn from his rantings; that he was probably, among other things, a paranoid schizophrenic. In short, his words had no meaning.
A couple of guests applauded NBC for handling the material responsibly. The endorsements seemed suspiciously planted. One guest went so far as to say that this material would have gotten out there in some other way had NBC embargoed it. Really? Then I guess I can still catch the footage of Steve Irwin getting zapped by the stingray.
You don't need to give me the downside to airing Cho's multimedia presentation: further desensitization, inspiring of copycats ... I got those covered. (Media neophytes Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris left their fans wanting more image-wise. Cho's iconography might be kind of hackneyed but it's plentiful, perfect for screensavers. A few may even make the leap to t-shirts, a la Patty Hearst. Or how about "Cho" instead of "Che"?)
Of course everyone else showed the meaningless footage, no doubt accelerating the mythologizing of Cho. (Jeez, it took Mother Teresa seven years to just get beatified.) This morning a Fox News correspondent stood in the hallway outside Cho's door room in Ambler. Room 2120. This was The room of The man who perpetrated The worst mass shooting in American history, we were told. How long before the plaque that reads "Cho Slept Here" goes up?
***
UPDATE: Some commenters say I'm supporting censorship. I don't think I am. After all, news organizations get pitched stories constantly - by Proctor & Gamble, by the DNC and RNC, and in this case by a lunatic. The editorial staff need to decide what's newsworthy. In this case, I think the sending of the tape is itself a story. The content of the tape? Not so much.
But speaking of censorship, does anyone else find it almost funny to watch and hear the rantings of a homicidal maniac - but with the naughty curse words bleeped? Wouldn't want to freak the kiddies out!
Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
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The Legend of Cho (Brought to you by NBC)
Posted Apr 19th 2007 8:03AM by Mo Rocca
Filed under: Virginia Tech Shooting, Cho Seung-Hui
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Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 74)
31. NBC has given this miscreant the platform he wanted. Air time.
yborite at 2:11PM on Apr 19th 2007
32. I wonder too-- what about the victims.
I'm from Colorado, and when we had Columbine, the killers wanted infamy- -and got it. So does the VT killer. This kind of media fuels these incidents. These killers want infamy-- stop giving it to them, and they lost their juice. I can't stand to look at his face. I want to hear about the victims.
Carol at 11:15AM on Apr 19th 2007
33. People in the media are whores. These videos of this cuckoo clock are only providing more fodder for them. This shooter wanted his 15 minutes of fame, and the media is handing it to him. (of course killing 32 innocent people gives you more than 15 minutes of infamy). I saw one idiot newsperson interviewing a VTech student. When asked if the boy knew any victims, he said yes, he had been on a date with one of the girls about 3 years ago, but he had attended grade school with her. The interviewer goes on to say in the most patronizing tone ever "So, how does it feel to have lost your childhood sweetie?"...The student was baffled..he said "WHAT? I never said we were childhood sweeties, we werent even adult sweeties, we had one date 3 years ago! You are trying to turn this into a story that doesnt exist"..I LOVED that the student called her out on it. The interviewer (some non-descript blonde woman) seemed defeated, as she should have been. I havent heard such drivel since Dick Button coined Tanya Harding, the "tomboy asthmatic" during the national figure skating championships (of course, this was pre-nancy kerrigan knee banging)..MY point.......media people suck..they are such idiots.
SARAH at 11:16AM on Apr 19th 2007
34. NO TO CENSORSHIP
They presented facts. There facts are newsworthy. Political correctness and 'respect' should not be censorship triggers. I am an adult news consumer and want it ALL
Stop your holier than thou cries for censorship; the USA is a free consumer driven DEMOCRACY where ratings are KING! You have the freedom to turn the channel, turn off the TV, exactly what I do with content I don't like
dac at 11:18AM on Apr 19th 2007
35. There can be no good that comes out of NBC airing the package it received...after first copying it and then sending it on to the FBI..
Probably that will contaminate the process of evidence gathering.
We don't need to see this...we understand already what has happened and don't need to view it over and over.
This man was mentally unstable. Unfortunately, he took innocent lives...let us honor them and make him disappear....we don't need this repetition.
Pat at 10:34PM on Apr 19th 2007
36. Leave NBC alone and reflect back on what happened to Dan Rather...we lost one of the very best News commentators that America ever had....
Judy at 11:21AM on Apr 19th 2007
37. I cannot see any good coming from it. It seems to me that Brian William/NBC sensationizes the news like a local channel in Louisville, which I abhor..
Phyllis Kunz
Phyllis Kunz at 11:34AM on Apr 19th 2007
38. I think showing this taped footage of cho rambling, the pics and his "manifesto" does no good for anyone,it gives him and the other nut jobs air time, on huge networks and raises them into the ranks of "imfamy". exactly what the sick S.O.B. wanted. Why else would he send the box to NBC? He knew that even after his death, and even people who didn"t want to see or hear the wierd ass idiot psycho had to say, it would saturate the media and give him "fame". Taking the importance of the victims away. The only thing the media should do with sickos like this is identify them, not promote their bizzare thinking and ranting so sickos all over the world think "Yah, I am going down like him".
Coverage should be limited to the heros , the poor victims and their families and healing not on the perpetator of such a horiffic act.
missi at 11:34AM on Apr 19th 2007
39. Yeah, he (Cho) got in the limelight alright and all he had to do is take 32 lives which he did. This guy was a complete jerk and sick in the head. What people do to get complete (national) attention and then turn around and shoot their self really beats hell out of me. Those young kids and adults didn't do a damn thing for him to couse this to happen. They did the oposite by trying to help him, not once but many times. He (Cho) speaks of rich kids never get enough, what business is it of his; it's their money not his. It sounds to me that he was jealous and feeling sorry for himself. It's his fault he was a loner because a lot of kids on campus wanted him for a friend. Another thing that bugs hell out of me is why would he decide to get a higher education so he can live the good life and then turn around to kill and then take his own life. There's a lot of unanswered questions and some may never be answered. I feel sorry for all of them but feel worse for their families because they're suffering for their love ones and feel the victems are in a beautiful place now (Heaven). I can't type anymore as this subject is really getting me down in the dumps...
Al at 11:30AM on Apr 19th 2007
40. Why show it? It is news. We may not like it, it may be manipulation from the grave, but it is news. Last I looked NBC still had a news division.
me at 11:33AM on Apr 19th 2007
41. You write for AOL news.....
Are you not aware that AOL is show the same material?
Why jump on NBC when AOL is is on the same bandwagon?
Devin at 11:33AM on Apr 19th 2007
42. I don't think NBC should have aired the videos and photos - telling us what was in them would have been enough.
I would like to say that I think there is a very good chance that Cho was sexually abused as a child. His plays and some of his talk indicated that to me. For example his video talking about trash being forced down his throat. He obviously had severe mental problems.
It is impossible for laymen to try to find a "rational" reason for the killings from the rantings of such a disturbed individual. The photos and videos would be best to save for dissection by professionals.
Airing them is upsetting to most people who would view them and don't promote understanding at this stage. They could also trigger more copycat acts by other disturbed individuals who would see such awful acts as a way to achieve fame.
Linda at 1:30AM on Apr 20th 2007
43. So it's now guns don't kill people, it's MSM that kills people? You people get a clue. Stop making up knee jerk arguments, study some history of mass murder. Mass murderers kill for personal grievances because they are sick in the head .. media attention makes no difference. All his vids show is he was totally crazy. You can't stuff the news back in the bottle. How about the 99.9% of murders that don't make any news.
dac at 11:36AM on Apr 19th 2007
44. Let me get this straight..America fires someone from their job because he referred to a bunch of women he never met as nappy headed hos...BUT America can tolerate 24 hour coverage and photos of a killer? This country is screwed up!
SARAH at 11:39AM on Apr 19th 2007
45. At this point I am actually avoiding all news chanels. Please, enough all ready, I dont want tt see anymore. At this point all we are doing is exactly what he wants, giving him the attention he thought he deserved and adding more wood for the next fire.
Mindy at 11:43AM on Apr 19th 2007