Letter to the Editor: Let Mad Killers Remain As Insignificant As They Were

Summary

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The debate over whether NBC was right in airing the material from the murderer of Virginia Tech students and faculty members will be discussed repeatedly. One side will argue NBC was obligated to report it no matter how offensive, while the other side will contend airing it will only empower future sociopaths seeking infamy. NBC said it thought long and hard and ultimately felt it was the right thing to do. I disagree. There was a time when sports fans would want to interrupt a game by running onto the field. They knew the cameras would televise them, making them an instant quasi- celebrity. These interruptions became so problematic the leagues and networks made the decision to turn the cameras from the field to the broadcasters until the fan was apprehended. By removing the lure of celebrity, the networks could curb unwanted distractions.

Using that logic, why did NBC feel that airing this material was the right thing to do? Many of the experts interviewed on their family of networks stated they fear this type of media coverage could lead to copycats. By airing this footage, NBC turned an individual who lived invisibly to the world into a real person, gave him an identity. He did nothing to earn that.

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Letter to the Editor: Let Mad Killers Remain As Insignificant As They Were

I am not suggesting thi...

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