Controversial NBC Choice on Video

The decision by NBC to air the video of Virginia Tech murderer Cho Seong-Hui has caused considerable controversy among the public and other media outlets. One stream of thought says that NBC was sent the tapes by Cho, and so it was their responsibility to give the American public some understanding as to why this tragedy occurred. Those who identify with this view see the tapes as a (warped) type of free speech- Cho was a severely troubled man, but his ranting and raving might help us to gain some insight into why this horrible incident happened.

On the other side of the fence sit those who do not agree with NBC’s decision to air these troubling tapes. These individuals see the tapes as causing more harm than good: by airing this type of hatred on national network television, NBC is adding nothing positive to the discourse on guns and violence- they are simply allowing Cho’s terrible views and ideas to disseminate to the population as a whole.

Whatever side of the debate one is on, it is certainly an interesting position for a broadcaster to be in. In retrospect, it is likely that NBC will see that they have erred in showing the Virginia Tech murderer’s manifesto. However, in a time when the network news stations are in a constant battle for supremacy, the arrival of Cho’s message must have presented a difficult challenge for NBC. As a broadcaster to hundreds of millions of Americans, NBC knew that by airing this tape, their coverage would be guaranteed to be different if they did show this footage. They would also be aware that showing this video would cause many of these hundreds of millions of Americans to be angry at them for making this decision. Had they chosen not to air the video, it is likely that there would again have been controversy: those who believe that the killer’s voice is essential to providing understanding to this unthinkable tragedy.

Television broadcasters have a unique role in our society when it comes to responsibilities: if a newspaper printed a picture of the killer, no one would question their ethics or morals. If an individual got a hold of this tape and posted it on a private blog or website, again, the controversy would have been minimal. NBC had the attention of the masses when it made the decision to air Cho’s manifesto.

What this man had to say to the families of those he had hurt must have been unwatchable. Their anger and their indignation at NBC’s move is understandable. However, being a prominent national broadcaster, with the eyes of the entire country upon you, is not exactly easy either. NBC made a choice in a situation that had no good answer, and raking them across the coals for it will not change anything.

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