How CBS, And Its Competitors, Are Handling The Cho Materials

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: CBS News Issues

(APTN)

In an email this morning, CBS News Vice President Paul Friedman instructed staff not to use the Cho video without the approval of an executive producer. He also wrote that stills from the video should be used sparingly.

"In no case do we want this video to be used as wallpaper, in much the same way we did not want to use the video of the planes going into the World Trade Center or the buildings coming down," wrote Friedman.

This morning, the video and pictures were all over the CBSNews.com homepage. You could watch the video in the upper left hand corner of the site, and slightly further down on the right side; a large Flash slideshow of Cho's disturbing photos of himself ran in the middle of the page. As of this afternoon, the shooting is the lead story, but the video links are gone from the homepage, and the focus is now on the victims. That's by design, says CBSNews.com Editorial Director Dick Meyer.

"We felt we needed to make it prominent during one news cycle, because we have some readers who are primarily at-work users and they may not have had a chance to see it," said Meyer. "By mid-morning it didn't need to be smack dab in the middle. We're certainly sensitive to how disturbing it is."

I asked Meyer if it really mattered how prominently CBSNews.com showcased the video, since it is so easy for anyone who wants to find the video to do so.

"From a practical standpoint, no, it doesn't matter for most news consumers," said Meyer. "By this morning, it was omnipresent. It was omnipresent for savvy Web users by 8:15 last night."

ABC News released a statement about how they are handling the video. It reads in part:

We are planning to severely limit the use of the video. Obviously in the first news cycle there's some breaking news value to that video. But once that first news cycle has passed, the repetition of it is little more than pornography.

Here's Matt Lauer discussing NBC's handling of the material on "Today":

There are some big differences of opinion right within this news division as to whether we should be airing this stuff at all, that we're taking the right course of action. But we've made the decision, because by showing some of this material, perhaps it'll help us understand or answer the question 'why?' Why did it happen? If we can examine how a person who can say what he says and then do what he did, fail to be taken off the streets prior to committing these murders. But let me say that while we will show you some of what we received, it will be just a very small percentage. Because to be honest, after you see a bit of it you're going to get the idea. We feel strongly that this is not video that we need to run in some kind of an endless loop, and so we will severely limit the amount of footage that you're going to see.

On "Good Morning America" today, forensic psychologist Michael Welner argued that the videos should be pulled immediately, something that would be virtually impossible.

"If anybody cares about the victims in Blacksburg and if anybody cares about their children, stop showing this video now," said Welner. "Take it off the Internet. Let it be relegated to YouTube. This is a social catastrophe. Showing the video is a social catastrophe."

He added: "This is not him. These videos do not help us understand him. They distort him. He was meek. He was quiet. This is a PR tape of him trying to turn himself into a Quentin Tarantino character."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by brucesmall April 20, 2007 4:42 PM EDT: I have to give CBS some praise for restraint. The media in general, as usual, has run amok. Do we really need a horde of reporters descending on the parent's home, or a detailed bio on his sister, or tracking down the grandparents in Korea? This is essential news?; Reply to this comment


by lliebertz April 20, 2007 2:27 PM EDT: I believe the news media really dropped the ball on this one. I don't think showing the murderer's video was "news we needed to know". Aren't there any good decent morals remaining in today's society? All the major networks were tripping over each other to show us this video. So the murderer wins, in life and in death??? What other purpose did it serve? I don't believe he was mentally ill, I believe he was just plain evil, there's a HUGE difference.Was Saddam mentally ill? Are his followers mentally ill? Can an entire society be mentally ill? No, but they can be..evil. By focusing our attention on the murderer, the media is encouraging other evil people to try to get their "few moments of fame", and therefore creating more "news we need to know"?? By continuously telling us this is the "worst" mass murder ever in the U.S., are the media trying to get another evil person to say, "let me top that", so they can report another news story?? What is wrong with us as a society, that we can remember murderers' names, and not the victims' names? Maybe we should all take a long hard look at ourselves, and bring good old fashioned morals and decency back into our lives. I say God bless the victims and their families, and help them heal. Irresponsible reporting..it is not going to help the families understand why this happened, and your main focus should be to help them through this most difficult time of their lives. Shame on you..; Reply to this comment


by winchester59 April 20, 2007 10:48 AM EDT: I will never understand why CBS thinks the public continues to want to see the images of this madman. Put yourself in the shoes of the family members who are trying to cope with thier losses. For the love of GOD, please CBS, NBC,FOX, CNN and all the rest, stop the running of these videos and still pictures.
I appreciate CBS allowing me to vent my thoughts on this issue.; Reply to this comment


by gail071 April 20, 2007 9:38 AM EDT: To: All news media
From: Gail in Tennessee

Yes, tell us the facts. No, don't run everything into the ground. Definitely, leave the grieving students and families alone. Don't stick a microphone under any and everybody's nose trying to get a comment that will get ratings. Responsible journalism is reporting the facts, and not reporting opinions as facts.; Reply to this comment


by suesch1950 April 20, 2007 12:41 AM EDT: I don't care how the networks spin it by saying they are going to "limit" Cho's offensive self-promotions or defend their actions by saying we need to understand the "why" of the killer's actions. It's all a rues. They were all salivating to match or out-do other news entities and ended-up prostituting themselves.

Their actions gave Cho's his pathetic fame he was hoping for and the actions of the network news will fuel the fires of future maniacs. Some time in the future, instead of 32 innocent people murdered, some other deviant will seek to out-do Monday's killed and the networks will share in complicity.

In a perfect world, I'd like to see no pictures of the killer in the future. We need to focus on the victims and fill the news with their stories. One family of an injured Virginia Tech student said it best today when they declined to be interviewed. Their reason, they wanted the focus to be placed on the lost. What a class-act! The networks should take example of that!

t; Reply to this comment


by ronmwanga April 20, 2007 12:39 AM EDT: It should not have been released. Is it even news? I certainly don't think so. It adds nothing to the story. In fact it actually gives Cho a voice, a final word that he ought not to have enabled by the mainstream media. It is curious, though, to see the various PR departments debating this. I wonder what NBC and even CBS would have done had the mail been to their news departments. Would anyone have done this better than NBC News did? I'd like to hope so.; Reply to this comment


by mom-of-9 April 19, 2007 11:44 PM EDT: I agree this video and the pictures should not have been released. It "honored" his death wish to become a media presence. Revealing its existence and not showing it would have made a bold and courageous statement by the news media that anyone so wishing to become famous will NOT succeed! (irregardless of what it cost the station in ratings!)
I believe much of the viewing audience would have appreciated viewing stories and pictures of the victims, honoring their memories. The "achievement" of having killed the most should not be a statistic that is publically recorded or mentioned.
Opening my morning newspaper and seeing his face and gun staring at me was offensive as was continually seeing his face and propaganda on my TV! I changed channels and refused to view any of it!; Reply to this comment


by ss775 April 19, 2007 10:06 PM EDT: I am glad that the video is no longer front page here- however- I believe "one cycle" was one to many. I can appreciate the approach that CBS News gave considerable thought to the posting of these deplorable pictures, however I would ask: Did you put yourself into the shoes of even one parent, one VT student, one wife, son, daughter, brother sister, grandparent, who had just lost an irreplacable loved one? If this killer had just murdered your child whould you have so honored his self-indulgent memory? Would you have granted the murderer of your loved one their final deplorable wish? I think the criteria that is used to "evaluate" whether to go to press with this type of material must be revisited using the human criteria, not the sensational- feed the ratings at all cost mentality. PLEASE do better in the future- not just you but all media.; Reply to this comment


by brindle67 April 19, 2007 8:33 PM EDT: A neuropsychologist, James W. Prescott, contended in 1975 that the greatest threat to world peace comes from those nations which have the most depriving and repressive sexual environments.

Cho was a minority and not a ladies man at that, else, it is my contention that "for the sympathy of one living being", he would have "made peace with all." (Quote comes from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein of 1994)

Same explannation holds true for Columbine and violence in world's sexually repressive societies.

Just like America -well look at Britney Speers and Mariln Monroe. Dammed to be in a mould forever that will kill the nicer sexual instincts..
Bring back "The Sound of Music" type movies I say!
Then see how our young folk respond upwards - not down in to the pits..
evansbrianjohn@gmail.com
http://connectkiwis.com
http://apoem.com; Reply to this comment


by brindle67 April 19, 2007 8:32 PM EDT: A neuropsychologist, James W. Prescott, contended in 1975 that the greatest threat to world peace comes from those nations which have the most depriving and repressive sexual environments.

Cho was a minority and not a ladies man at that, else, it is my contention that "for the sympathy of one living being", he would have "made peace with all." (Quote comes from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein of 1994)

Same explannation holds true for Columbine and violence in world's sexually repressive societies.

Just like America -well look at Britney Speers and Mariln Monroe. Dammed to be in a mould forever that will kill the nicer sexual instincts..
Bring back "The Sound of Music" type movies I say!
Then see how our young folk respond upwards - not down in to the pits..
evansbrianjohn@gmail.com
http://connectkiwis.com
http://apoem.com; Reply to this comment