Virginia Tech massacre: NBC receives material from killer

[Regit]

My prayers are with students and families who are suffering.

One Question: Is it a bad idea to suggest security checkpoints on college campuses?

I think the idea is a good one. Feasibility is the issue.

Do you really think it's smart to line people up at security checkpoints? That creates a natural target for a psychotic killer. I don't know why everyone's response to these things is to turn more places into prisons.

Well that's an issue with feasibility. The basic idea of more security is generally good, it's once it's in practice that it starts to become a bad idea.

[Chacor]

New information from press conference: FBI have apparently found only minimal new useful evidence from the NBC tapes. Superintendent Col. Flaherty of the VA State Police also criticised the media for showing the video. And rightly so, because the families of the victims are no doubt being exposed to so much of this horrible person.

[gtalum]

Even worse than the insensitivity to the victims, showing these tapes gives the gunman more notoriety and that may help to entice more psychotic losers like him to do what he did. It's a really dangerous game the media is playing.

[angelwing]

I said it before and I'll say it again, the media has no sense they are only concerned with ratings that's all

[gtalum]

I said it before and I'll say it again, the media has no sense they are only concerned with ratings that's all

It's a natural problem with for-profit news media. Any government-run news media would simply be a mouthpiece for the group in charge, though. I don't know of a good solution to the problem.

[lurkey]

Virginia Tech Awarding Degrees to Victims

[Brent]

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, FL -- The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

A 14-year-old Bartram Trail High School student allegedly e-mailed a school threat to a friend. The threat claimed the boy would top the record of killing 33 people at school.

A parent intercepted the e-mail and called police Wednesday morning.

Deputies with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Youth Resource Unit started investigating after the phone call.

The teen apparently said he wanted to kill 100 people at school. The investigation also revealed that the boy made similar threats several weeks ago. Those went unreported.

The suspect was found at his home and taken into custody. He was charged with Threat to Throw, Project, Place or Discharge any Destructive Device. It's a second degree felony.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/loca ... ryid=80364

It's amazing things like what happened at VA Tech haven't happened more often with stories like this.

[pojo]

I said it before and I'll say it again, the media has no sense they are only concerned with ratings that's all

Late April into May is rating season.

[Brent]

A new statement from NBC:

Upon receiving the materials from Cho Seung-Hui, NBC News took careful consideration in determining how the information should be distributed. We did not rush the material onto air, but instead consulted with local authorities, who have since publicly acknowledged our appropriate handling of the matter. Beginning this morning, we have limited our usage of the video across NBC News, including MSNBC, to no more than 10 percent of our airtime.

Which means 6 minutes an hour... I don't think that's bad at all.

[LSU2001]

or 2.4 hours per day. THat seems like a lot of air time to me but I can't stand most of the news media anyway.
tim

[JTD]

I said it before and I'll say it again, the media has no sense they are only concerned with ratings that's all

Late April into May is rating season.

I am rather disturbed by the criticism of the media that seems rampant in society these days. It is the 4th estate and it is also protected by the first ammendment to the great document that is the U.S. Constitution. The founding fathers found it SO critical to have freedom of the press that they inserted it into the most amazing document EVER written. Without the press, we would have had no clue about Watergate, no clue about other various political scandals which I won't get into given the nature of this board, numerous predators would still be on the loose because there'd be no shows such as Dateline NBC's "To catch a predator", etc (far more important things I've forgot to mention such as how bad the war was going in Vietnam when generals said it was going just great)

I for one think the media serves an incalcuable service to society and the criticism is so totally unfair. The Virginia tech massacre is the most horrific shooting in the history of the United States. To ensure that nothing like this ever happens again, I think every element of what led to this needs to be examined by society. We need to understand how people can do such things to prevent it in the future. The media is an outlet that can begin a national discussion as to what is wrong in the U.S. that incidents like these tend to happen so often. Airing the videos gives some insight into the mind of one of the worst mass murderers ever. If somebody had these kind of videos of Adolf Hitler, would it make sense to argue that these should never see the light of day.

Now, I am the first to criticize the media. They are far too quick to give 24/7 coverage to stories of no importance to anybody but the immediate family such as Natalie Holloway (my condolences to her family. god only knows what they are still going through) and provide almost no coverage of events like the death of President Ford. That is one fault I see.

However, I strongly feel that the coverage of this tragedy is neccessary and I commend ABC/CBS/CNN/NBC/MSNBC for their coverage.

[Brent]

I said it before and I'll say it again, the media has no sense they are only concerned with ratings that's all

Late April into May is rating season.

I am rather disturbed by the criticism of the media that seems rampant in society these days. It is the 4th estate and it is also protected by the first ammendment to the great document that is the U.S. Constitution. The founding fathers found it SO critical to have freedom of the press that they inserted it into the most amazing document EVER written. Without the press, we would have had no clue about Watergate, no clue about other various political scandals which I won't get into given the nature of this board, numerous predators would still be on the loose because there'd be no shows such as Dateline NBC's "To catch a predator", etc (far more important things I've forgot to mention such as how bad the war was going in Vietnam when generals said it was going just great)

I for one think the media serves an incalcuable service to society and the criticism is so totally unfair. The Virginia tech massacre is the most horrific shooting in the history of the United States. To ensure that nothing like this ever happens again, I think every element of what led to this needs to be examined by society. We need to understand how people can do such things to prevent it in the future. The media is an outlet that can begin a national discussion as to what is wrong in the U.S. that incidents like these tend to happen so often. Airing the videos gives some insight into the mind of one of the worst mass murderers ever. If somebody had these kind of videos of Adolf Hitler, would it make sense to argue that these should never see the light of day.

Now, I am the first to criticize the media. They are far too quick to give 24/7 coverage to stories of no importance to anybody but the immediate family such as Natalie Holloway (my condolences to her family. god only knows what they are still going through) and provide almost no coverage of events like the death of President Ford. That is one fault I see.

However, I strongly feel that the coverage of this tragedy is neccessary and I commend ABC/CBS/CNN/NBC/MSNBC for their coverage.

I am too, it bothers me a lot. First of all, NBC WAITED until the local officials gave them permission to air it. They could have reported it three hours earlier, beaten the other networks if they had wanted, but they did not. That really says a lot to me.

and the coverage of Ford's death was the most pathetic I have EVER seen. Virtually non-existent, even on cable news they never went wall-to-wall after the initial few hours when the story broke.

[cycloneye]

NBC News issued the following statement Thursday in regard to the materials it received from the gunman in the Virginia Tech shootings:

The pain suffered by the Virginia Tech community and indeed the entire country is immeasurable.

Upon receiving the materials from Cho Seung-Hui, NBC News took careful consideration in determining how the information should be distributed. We did not rush the material onto air, but instead consulted with local authorities, who have since publicly acknowledged our appropriate handling of the matter. Beginning this morning, we have limited our usage of the video across NBC News, including MSNBC, to no more than 10 percent of our airtime.

Our Standards and Policies chief reviewed all material before it was released. One of our most experienced correspondents, Pete Williams, handled the reporting. We believe it provides some answers to the critical question, "why did this man carry out these awful murders?" The decision to run this video was reached by virtually every news organization in the world, as evidenced by coverage on television, on Web sites and in newspapers. We have covered this story — and our unique role in it — with extreme sensitivity, underscored by our devoted efforts to remember and honor the victims and heroes of this tragic incident. We are committed to nothing less.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18200115/



Above is a statement from NBC News about this situation.

[lurkey]

NASCAR to Display Virginia Tech Logos on Cars



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR will allow race cars to display the Virginia Tech logo for the next three weeks in tribute to the victims of this week's shootings at the school.

The logo will be displayed against a black background on the area just to the right of the driver's side window net on cars in both the Nextel Cup and Busch series at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday and Saturday, Talladega Superspeedway (April 28-29) and Richmond International Raceway (May 4-5).

Also, entries in the Craftsman Truck Series event April 28 at Kansas Speedway will display the logo.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their family members, their friends - and the entire Virginia Tech community," said NASCAR chairman Brian France. "We wanted to make a simple, but strong, gesture of remembrance. We are grateful the university gave us clearance to display their logo."

[Brent]

(CBS13) YUBA CITY Sutter County schools are on lockdown and Yuba County schools on heightened alert this morning after a man allegedly threatened to go on a killing spree that would make Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech look mild.

http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_109122737.html

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Eerily this week is the anniversaries of Oklahoma City, Columbine and Wacko. Sadly yet another major tragedy has been added to the third week of April's already bloody history.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

I do agree with the sediments of many here. Multiple broadcastings of large chunks of the killer's material by major media will no only help make him a folk horror for crazies everywhere, but it is always like a collective slap in the face of the already shattered families.

[wxmann_91]

Eerily this week is the anniversaries of Oklahoma City, Columbine and Wacko. Sadly yet another major tragedy has been added to the third week of April's already bloody history.

Coincidence or planned?

Keep in mind that this is the week of Hitler's birthday. Sad to see what some people can contrive.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

I forgot about Hitler’s bday. See that Jim Carry movie should have been about the third week in April, rather than that moronic number. Creepy indeed.

[JonathanBelles]

This just in from Rush-Henrietta HS near Rochester, NY:

The school janator found bullets and shell casings in a few of the garbage cans on campus. All students were sent home as soon as it was reported.

this was from my sister.