To Air or Not To Air : Virginia Tech Gunman's Mail

Posted by Dexie

Now the debate has shifted to whether it was the right decision for the media to air partial pictures and videos of the Gunman's package that he himself sent to NBC before proceeding on his second rampage almost 2 hours before the first one. Here are my Pros and Cons on the matter. I will start with the Cons list first.

CONS:
1. The families of the victims. What they must be feeling while this rant-filled manifesto unfolds in everyones living room.

2. By showing the pictures and the videos, the gunman has once again gained power and attention.

3. These henious materials could excite someone who has anger in his/her heart risking another copycat act. I said another because the gunman himself mentioned the Columbine kids.

4. I want to reiterate the importance of how the victims should be the one remembered, not the gunman nor his violent acts.

PROS: 1. As much as I hate watching news these days, when this mail landed on NBC mailbox, it was news. No matter how henious it it, it's their job to report the news.
2. This opened up a lot of discussion among the people under the Medical field.

3. Hearing the gunman words and watching his eyes might give us understanding on how this disturbed young man was feeling inside. His anger within him shouldn't have been ignored.

4. It should open up discussion on how this kid with a history of mental problems was able to purchase a gun without a proper background check.

5. Maybe his own words could answer the questions that we all asked ourselves when we first heard the news, "WHY?"

I know my pros outnumbered the cons but I'd like to assure you I'm in the middle with this. In defense to the NBC network, they want everyone to know that they edited out a lot and decided not to show everything. They tried to handle this news development as responsible as they possibly could.

There really is no right way or wrong way on how to report the news. What are your opinions?. Please feel free to add to the Pros and Cons list. We would love to hear your thoughts on this whole matter. Thank You.

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To Air or Not To Air : Virginia Tech Gunman's Mail

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