THE CHO VIDEOS….Sign me up with Atrios on this one:
I’m a bit puzzled by all the conversation about whether NBC and other news outlets shoud’ve broadcast Cho’s videos. While there can always be debates about what should be front and center, the idea that this kind of thing should be withheld by a Media That Knows Best is rather disturbing.
There’s no question that these images and videos are intense; they undoubtedly cause pain to the loved ones of the victims; and they might even help promote copycat behavior — though I suspect this is more urban legend than reality. But like it or not, they’re also a key part of helping us understand one of the biggest news stories of the year. Under those circumstances, maybe there’s someone you trust to unilaterally decide that we’re not grownup enough to see this stuff, but not me. If we’re all going to jabber endlessly about this event — and we are — we ought to do it with as much factual information as we can possibly get.
Besides, unless I miss my guess, the same people who are yelling the loudest right now would be yelling even louder if investigators announced the existence of the material but then refused to allow anyone to see it. Right?
