http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspxIf you haven't gone so far as to express your opinion on a message board, chances are good that you've at least muttered under your breath what you think of the decision made by NBC News to make public some of the material mailed to them by murderer Choen-USCommunityServer 2.0 (Build: 60608.1)http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160411Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:45:56 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160411Sal Palazzolafirst off I want to express my profound sorrow for the families of all the victims. I live in Roanoke which is all but 30 miles from VA. Tech. and I never thought this would happen here, but none of us are really safe. you just never know now who will snap at any given moment. as for the heat that NBC is receiving from the release of some of this manifesto, let me say this, when is the appropriate time to show this to the public who has a right to know? personally I dodnt need censorship or somebody playing big brother and trying to tell me what is and isnt good for me. we all have a choice to either change the channel or turn off the television.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160514Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:28:32 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160514KWThe essential problem is not with decisions to release or not release the videos. The essential problem, imho, is deeper and much harder to address/resolve and that is modern society's over valuing fame. We put way too much value on the opinions of those who are widely known (or by extension, those who can instantly become widely known). Before mass media, there were not many famous people and those who were famous were generally famous for good reasons (the others where infamous and people understood what that word meant back then). Additionally, those famous people had some influence on how the fame of others was propagated. Today anyone can be famous for anything, good or bad. All they have to do is try hard enough to be more outrageous than what came before them. The change in the ease of acquiring fame has accelerated at such a rapid rate (and will continue to do so) that our perceptions of the importance of fame have not had time to adjust. Crazy people (most dangerously, smart crazy people) catch on to this and use it as a posthumous method of getting their (to them "very important") message across. If this fame obsession was under control, the free flow of information in this case would not be a concern.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160541Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:44:04 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160541Rachel Padilla, Sanger, Ca. In this day and age we are so tightly wound that we want to censor everything. It's news, it's information..who are we to impose our morals on others? I am glad NBC showed the clips because I want to know what kind of person would do this? And it will help others realize that when they come across and individual that is as disturbed as the shooter, they need to beware and take proactive actions. Thank you NBC for reporting the news!http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160556Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:50:40 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160556Alex, Lawrence, KSI feel the only parallel to the Unabomber is that the media called both their writings a "manifesto." In the Unabomber's case, publishing his writing was an attempt to preserve human lives, but NBC's disclosure of Cho's writings in no way stopped Cho from his violent actions. Whether NBC should have disclosed is not a debate I want to enter, I just want to point out that the Unabomber's essay and Cho's "essay" are totally different issues, and people should draw parallels with caution.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160560Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:52:17 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160560LVI think the copycat effect is the main reason that the materials should not be released, especially in download form. Glorification by other disturbed individuals is just too easy (and we've already had a rash of problems in other places this week). To address Doc Searls' wish, the package could be released to all of the mental health research centers - let the people who are the most interested and knowledgeable use the materials to further our collective understanding of psychological illnesses without running the risk of triggering another Cho.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160567Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:56:44 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160567Lorelei Morris, Green River, WyomingI too was very disappointed when not only NBC, but every news replayed edited parts of the tape made by Cho Seung-hui. It was very disturbing to have such a sick person's views seen on the airways. I turned it off the every time, but I am sure if I had lost a family member or close friend I would have been trapped into watching it to try to understand why he did this. I do not think that we need to be exposed to such ranting of ill murderers. Thank you for taking it off your news broadcastshttp://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160587Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:02:59 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160587Shaun Funk, Clemmons, NCI think NBC did the right thing in releasing the material. It's important for the average citizen to know what kind of people are out there. I don't think the whole mash-up effect is appropriate, but it's better than being left in the dark. I am not a gun owner. I read a bunch of comments from non-americans about our "gun problem". I don't think we have a gun problem. We have a social issues which keep people from feeling accepted. Without guns, there would still be homocide in our society. With social change I think that we could reduce the frequency and magnitude of these events. http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160787Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:21:03 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160787Patricia I've seen enough pictures of the shooter, in fact, after the first pictures of him I hoped I would never see him again. The guy was obviously deranged, in desperate need of help which he didn't get and the results will live with us forever. Lets remember the lives that were taken too soon, the families and loved ones of those who were lost. I'm not interested in the shooters promotion of himself that you are buying in to.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160823Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:53:04 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160823Sterling, Tallahassee FLIt's not that NBC (and other outlets) released the material or did stories on it, it's that they paraded his image on their front page for almost an entire day. An entire day of the seeing images of this man pointing at you with outstretched arms grasping two hand guns, a huge photo of him pointing the gun at is head, an image of a knife pointing at you. For crying out loud, that is the real issue. It was as if the media was raising him high on their shoulders so everyone could see the pictures of him. (I was watching the 6 o'clock news on NBC and the reporter doing the report literally clutched his fingers into a fist and raised it up slightly in front of his chest as he was describing Cho "striking out from the grave in his final act." Wow! I was blinded with disbelief when I saw that and turned off tv.) It is this display and handling of the story that most affected me, that most bothered me about NBC's decision to "share with the public" the material they received. It didn't seem like sharing, it seemed like journalistic grandstanding. *sigh* On a similar note: People are accusing the media of going for ratings over substance. Of sensationalizing the most benigh angle, but they rarely make the connection that the Media goes for ratings because "people" make it worth their while to take that route. If there wasn't money (and success) in these tactics and reporting styles they wouldn't do them. We as a society should all look in the mirror from time to time and make sure we aren't blaming the wrong party. Compare the time and energy put into the death of Anne Nicole Smith and Kurt Vonnegut and honestly say our priorities aren't skewed toward the fluff and ease of understanding.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160837Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:59:22 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160837jeff modlini dont understand why when somthing happens like this.the media cannot have some consideration for these families and do the right thing by not showing this lunatic getting exactly what he wanted airtime for murdering innocent people you guys just dont understand how to do the right thing.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160883Fri, 20 Apr 2007 04:43:39 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160883Tom Haley, Kirkland, WANBC did the right thing in presenting the newsworthy information that was sent to them. Seeing the deranged behavior of such a disturbed person has value to the public at large. Such views are benchmarks of behavior that the public needs to be aware of in order to be alert in the future to such dangers. Presenting edited portions of the taped materials was not playing into the hands of a killer by giving him the publicity he wanted. It was, rather, another piece of critical information for the public to understand better what had happened. It was responsible journalism. To have withheld all of that information would have amounted to censorship. http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#160891Fri, 20 Apr 2007 04:52:58 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:160891Jim Wynn, Edison, Ga. Most Importantly, my condolences to the friends and families of those victims at VT. NBC made a hard decision in whether or not to play the the tapes and I agree that they had to play a certain part of them in order to show the public what was in the deranged mind of Cho;however, enough is enough and If I'm sick of seeing it I can only imagine how friends and family feel. The publicity has already kicked off other mentally deficient people in other states to try and top what Cho did. We live in a country that has become so "politically correct" we don't face the fact that some people really are a danger to society.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#161020Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:48:10 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:161020Sandra Long, Romney, WVBy releasing the material, it might make the public more aware of the warning signs and hopefully prevent something like this happening again. http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#161037Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:38:02 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:161037Tom StrightEveryone is asking how this happened in a small community. This can happen anywhere. It's the world we live in, It's the world that we have created over the years.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#161094Fri, 20 Apr 2007 12:56:32 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:161094Sean O, Just outside PhillyI think it's pretty simple: I think the news media should have announced they've received the materials, show just a few of the least offensive photos & video stills, and then say something to the effect of "Due to the sensitivity of this material, we're leaving it up to you to decide if you want to view it". Then offer it all for at-will download online. Then move on to something else. It gets to the content to people who are curious, and keeps it away from people who are not, and those who are grieving.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#161162Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:40:29 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:161162Clint Hadden, Chicago, IllinoisPeople cry "censorship" as if news organizations have a responsibility to air the insane grievances of every idiot enterprising enough to pick up a gun. There was nothing newsworthy in Cho's press release, nothing revealing, nothing that shed any more light on what happened. There was simply the incoherent ramblings of a disturbed boy, which NBC chose to show for the purpose of titilation, consequences be damned. Of course, this is the ultimate destination of all today's media, both old and new, in this era of the "wisdom of masses." Media seeks to accommodate those masses and strives now for the lowest common denomenator, always helpfully pointing out my option to change to channel. I'm going one step further. I'm done with NBC. I'm turning it off.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#161955Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:43:24 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:161955John BWhat continually amazes me is how the news interviewers, in their questioning of the familes of the victims say " I know this must be difficult for you, and how painful it must be, BUT...and then they ask them the question anyway! How about having a little decency and common sense by asking the families if they first want to answer any questions, rather than shoving the questions down their throats.http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#162157Sat, 21 Apr 2007 06:24:26 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:162157Julie StohlerThe attention should be on the victims, the lovely people and their lives that were lost. The telling of their stories. Instead, immediately, the attention went to the maniac because of the media and their dis-respect of people's sorrow. Free press is overdone to the point of stupidity and cruelty. Shame on you, NBC!!!!! http://clicked.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/19/160225.aspx#162162Sat, 21 Apr 2007 07:12:03 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:162162Mary Buchanan, Gloversville, New YorkIt was totally right for NBC to air the video content. The public has a right to know, the right to know what was going on in this man's mind, how he was feeling, any type of signs that could warn us in the future, maybe. This does not mean that we in any way approve with what he did to those innocent people and to all of humanity, it means we want to maybe try to prevent it from ever happening again. We have a right to know everything and no one at NBC did anything wrong. Thank you NBC, once again, for a job very well done! God Bless.