Airing the VT Gunman’s Video

Many have called it an obscenity. The obscenity began long before their airing (over & over) the video. It began when all those network nightly "news" anchors raced down to western Virginia, replete with commercial interruptions.

And the obscenity continues until something better comes along.

Now ain't that America!

I gained more respect for ABC News today when you listened to your viewers and stopped showing the video and pictures of the Virginia Tech murderer. I would much rather remember the victims and survivors of this tradegy as well as how the VT community has come together.

The media has been waiting weeks for this kind of thing! Ever since Anna Nicole was found dead in her hotel room, the media has been waiting for a gruesome story to run with for as long as they can. I have not seen the video of the killer and truthfully do not want to. I am tired of hearing about him. His past or his upbringing or how he spent his time will not change that he killed 32 people! And obviousely we as a society are not familiar enough with the signs of derranged individuals and how to treat them and how to help them. Because we have another school shooting.
If the public had more of a say in what is aired on our news programs I do not think that any program would still be running info about the killer and hopefully they would be winding down the footage from VT. Because I believe that the students their do not want to rehash the events for more news anchors. Leave them alone!!! Send our prayers and concerns and let them start healing!!!
To all the friends and families of the VT victims my heart goes out to you and I PRAY that in all this saddness you can find something to smile about sometime soon!!

I will never forget my experience watching CNN's Larry King and AC 360 last night. For three hours straight, they repeatedly aired the same pictures, audio, and video of Cho, over and over again. I absolutely agree that the information was, at first newsworthy. But to rebroadcast the same images, over and over again, with a split screen, so that the viewer had to see them, while listening to debates and analysis, for hours, was, in my view, "pornographic," as ABC News Publicist, Jeffrey Schneider, correctly opined.

CNN may have had my attention last night, because I hoped to see more background on the victims and their families, but I have been so deeply disturbed by what I saw last night that I will not tune into that network again... I can only ask myself, what were their motives? Yes, it was newsworthy, at first, but to replay them over and over again, for hours, and even in the same hour of the same program, was inexcusable...have they no sensitivity at all, or are they just without any sense of propriety or conscience?

Thank you ABC for your decision to not continueing to run that video, I wish NBC had not began by airing it. Charlie Gibson does an exceptional job of balancing the news, and everything is handled with great sensitivity and in good taste. Thank you Charlie for doing such a fine job on this news story and the exceptional reporting you do on so many news stories. Your coverage of Pres. Ford's funeral was great, you didn't feel you had to talk continuely, but the let moments speak for themselves. Thanks ABC and especially Charlie

I agree that the video should not have been aired over and over, but I think ABC's coverage, as always, was professional and dignified. Your tribute last night to those killed was very moving.

The parents of the slain and injured victims became "victims themselves" when they received the horrible news about their children. Then NBC News had to "knock them down again" by airing this filth created by a maniac. Shame on you NBC.

Ratings seem to be the MO of the day in which we live.

I think the media was justified in covering his "manifesto", but NOT in the sensationalistic way it was covered.

By airing the iconic images of him in his gangsta pose pointing guns at the camera, I'm afraid that the media have provided an "object of devotion" for the next killer. Note, this does not cause or excuse the next shooter, but provides one more stepping stone on their path to destruction.

The media in general chose sensationalism and brief ratings boost over social responsibility.
NBC News has lost a long time viewer. While I appreciate ABC's relative restraint, ABC also promoted the videos on its website even while having an article calling the display a "social catastrophe".