I've come to expect little better from the television media, so I'm not surprised the news networks have endlessly broadcasted the photos, video and text that killer Cho Seung-Hui sent to NBC Monday just before his final rampage in Norris Hall at Virginia Tech.
But I was EXTREMELY dismayed to see The Denver Post's front page with the killer's creepy photos and ranting quotes enlarged so no reader could possibly miss them. There is no clarification, closure or comfort to be gained by seeing those images and reading his rants. The photos and video don't show Cho as the troubled loner he really was, but rather, as the tough guy he wished he could be.
What kind of message does this send to the families of Cho's victims, and the families of Columbine victims for that matter? It tells them that the killer is calling the shots, and the story is about him, not his victims. Not only did he take the lives of 32 innocent people, he is now been elevated to celebrity status for doing so. When Cho sent those materials to NBC, he wanted to go down in infamy, and the media happily obliged.
So, what's the take home message for all the would-be shooters out there who are angry enough to contemplate taking their own lives? Why go out anonymously when you can blow away 32 people and be immortalized for it in the papers and on the news? As the hometown paper for the families and friends of the Columbine shooting victims, The Denver Post showed no regard for the duty of care the newspaper owes to those sensitive readers.
Of course, the story is incredibly newsworthy and deserves thorough coverage, but for god's sake, direct readers to the website where they can read Cho's letter and see his angry photos, don't put it on the front page. This story should now be about the victims, not their murderer. By printing and broadcasting the killer's photos, videos and texts, the media has inadvertently validated Cho's heinous act and invited other sick and vengeful individuals to do the same. And for a newspaper like The Denver Post that knows for a fact people who have been directly affected by a similar shooting are among its readers, the editorial decision to put Cho on today's front page is incomprehensible.
