Killer's manifesto sheds light
When a package of photos and video from Virginia Tech serial killer Cho Seung Hui arrived at NBC News headquarters on Wednesday, it presented the network's executives with both a huge exclusive and an ethical quandary: Should they use the material on the air, and, if so, how?
On Thursday, some relatives of Cho's victims condemned NBC's decision to air portions of the "multimedia manifesto," as NBC anchor Brian Williams called it, on its various news shows. In protest, they cancelled appearances on Today Thursday morning. Their outrage was shared by a number of students, police officials and others who thought the airing was exactly what Cho had wanted, could spawn copycats or was simply too troubling.
The material was indeed disturbing. It showed the sick mind of a mass murderer, blaming his victims for his evil acts.
Yet it is hard to fault NBC for its decision. For better or worse, Americans are an inquisitive bunch. When a tragedy like this occurs, they have questions. Could campus security have done more? Were there enough red flags about Cho's mental state to have justified more aggressive intervention? And, of course, what kind of a sick individual would do this?
An investigative panel that Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine is assembling will address the first two questions. Cho's manifesto offers what's likely to be the best window into the third.
For all of its disturbing qualities, the Cho material speaks volumes about just how deranged this young man was. It is also possible that someone not connected with the investigation could spot something useful, or that Cho's words might prompt greater scrutiny of similarly psychotic people.
When NBC aired the material, it did so with considerable discretion and efforts to provide context. But in an era of 24-hour cable and the Internet, any sense of balance or prudence can easily be lost through saturation coverage and endless repetition. Many other news organizations, including USA TODAY, also used the material.
Some have concluded they do not need to air the material time and again. On websites, the material can be presented in such a way that it can be viewed by those who want to see it, but not imposed on others.
Had NBC decided to withhold the material from a public demanding answers, that decision would also have generated backlash. It is never easy to show or view something this disturbing. But suppressing information that adds knowledge and encourages useful responses is even harder to justify.
