The Evening News Report: The Cho Show

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: The "Evening News" Report

(AP Photo/NBC)

It's notable that the latest development to push the Virginia Tech story forward is a debate over whether or not media outlets should have aired the video and pictures that last moved it forward.

All three newscasts led last night with a note about the growing controversy over the media's choice to run materials from Seung-hui Cho's self-glorifying manifesto. On the "Evening News," anchor Katie Couric opened the show by saying this: "A lot of reaction today to that video message from the Virginia Tech shooter – angry reaction aimed at news outlets, including this one, for airing portions of it. CBS News plans to use this video only on a limited basis, and only when we feel it's necessary to tell the story."

The vast majority of the emails I've received have condemned CBS and other media outlets for showing the video, and today brings a fresh round of stories on criticism of media outlets for doing so. One typical missive in the Public Eye inbox begins like this: "Airing Cho's video was inappropriate, unnecessary and malevolent. Sometimes network news staffs need to think less with their wallets and more with their heads."

One aspect of the debate that's been largely lost in all this is the fact that we're not seeing a large portion of the materials Cho sent to NBC News. As Jack Shafer noted in Slate, "Cho mailed NBC News about two dozen QuickTime videos, of which the network has aired only a handful." The network has also held back some of Cho's photos and writings. Shafer characterizes this decision as "odd restraint," stopping just short of calling on NBC to release the whole shebang. "If you're interested in knowing why Cho did what he did, you want to see the videos and photos and read from the transcripts," wrote Shafer. "If you're not interested, you should feel free to avert your eyes."

Another side of this debate that's gone missing – and I say this with nothing but respect and sadness for the Virginia Tech victims and their loved ones – is a sense of perspective. In the neighborhood of 200 people were killed in a single day this week in Iraq, a fact that has been treated as little more than a footnote in the flood of Virginia Tech coverage.

On the "Daily Show" Wednesday night, the following exchange took place:

Jon Stewart: I don't even know it it's appropriate to broach it, but we, in this country, we've just had a very tragic situation occur at one of our universities. And it really has taken the country aback, and there's a real grieving process that we're going through. And going through it, mourning by learning about the victims, and learning about it and showing our support. You know, I hesitate to say – how does your country handle what is that type of carnage on a daily basis? Is there a way to grieve, is there a numbness that sets in?

Ali A. Allawi: Well, I think the scale of violence in Iraq is really inconceivable in your terms. We have, on a daily basis, what you had the other day at Virginia Tech – I mean, massacres of that scale. Practically on a daily basis. And it's very hard to grieve…the scale of violence and its continuity is such it really numbs you.

The fact that we are, mercifully, not numb to such violence – and that the media's decision to broadcast a video can cause such outrage – is a potent reminder of the wide gulf between daily life in America and daily life in Iraq.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by previn2 April 22, 2007 9:28 PM EDT: While I'm not one to voice my opinion too often, unless asked,(and especially on a public forum), I will say this...I have been in jail in the past. I am a law-abiding citizen now. I don't especially care for Cops, they are about as crooked as the next guy, and should be held to a higher standard when caught, and be held accountable. Now, for my thoughts on Guns...Do you ever notice when some nut goes out and shoots and kills so many people as this one in the past week, that you don't see guys like that walk into a police station and go to town on them, do you? WHY? It's obvious--they've got guns! You won't see idiots like that walk into some Biker Bars either and try and pull a stunt like in Virginia Tec.--Again, they have guns!
I'll just bet my life that had any of those poor kids had been carrying a piece in their backpacks,this story could very possibly had a different outcome altogether. ---Do you see where I'm coming from? If you're against guns, just imagine, YOUR loved-one sitting there next time. (And there will be a next-time, unfortunately!); Reply to this comment


by rjames165 April 21, 2007 12:47 PM EDT: Your attempt to minimize the monumental impact of the irresponsible airing of the Cho material by stating that "we're not seeing a large portion of the materials Cho sent to NBC News..." makes no more sense than minimizing Cho's action by stating that he only killed a small percentage of the students at Tech.; Reply to this comment


by ronmwanga April 21, 2007 12:51 AM EDT: I definitely think that we didn't need to see any Cho-directed video on television (or even on the website). The gunman said evertything he needed to say and we didn't need to give him a final forum. One of the grave ironies of Jon Stewart is that sometimes "the fake news" is handled with a quaint courtliness ("I don't even know it it's appropriate to broach it, but we, in this country ..") that oftentimes the news departments lack.; Reply to this comment


by briantammy April 20, 2007 7:58 PM EDT: The plain and simple truth is that video was only shown to sensationalize Cho, and pull ratings. That is exacty what he wanted and why he sent it to a news station and not the police. And no, we as the public did not need to see the video. A simple transcript would have been sufficent to catter to our right to know. The Cridentals need to diagnoise autism are not granted to the general public, nor is it our place to diagnose.

Furthur more if his family knew there was a problem it was clearly their responsibilty to address that and make sure there was treatment.

I would love to see a law created from this allowing the authorities to hold the parents criminally responsible for neglegence in the death of all the victims including their son.; Reply to this comment


by evelyn7221 April 20, 2007 7:03 PM EDT: They needed to be shown because those videos revealed one key fact that we could never have realized by simply readin the transcripts of Cho's videos.

This kid was without a doubt mildly autistic. He clearly had a slight problem with turning his thoughts into verbal speech, as evidenced by his disjointed and monotone speech. Trust me on this, I know the feeling first hand.

The VT shooting was a horrific tragedy. But the other (and yes, smaller) tragedy is that he was never properly diagnosed as autistic because everyone assumed his speech problem was the result of a language barrier. If you've read the comments from his relatives though, he had the speech problem as a child in his native Korea as well. No language barrier - simply undiagnosed mild autism.

Clearly, he was also psychotic. But the long-term misunderstanding of his undiagnosed learning disability had to have factored into his eventual psychotic break.

Remember, 1 in every 160 people are autistic.

Let's start recognizing the signs and reaching out to help so each of the 1 in 160 can live in peace instead of suffering in silence.; Reply to this comment


by luluford April 20, 2007 6:58 PM EDT: Senseless violence is all around us. Everyone is searching for some meaning in this horrific tragedy. Yes, every three days the same number of U.S. troops become victims in Iraq. As they fall in Bush's civil war, can we really say they died for anything better? What are we going to tell their loved ones? What about those families which are ripped apart? We need to say no to violence where ever it appears. No to the war in Iraq, no to violent video games, no to violent movies, no to violent television shows. All we really need is love, not violence. Violence is not the answer.; Reply to this comment


by sanfelz April 20, 2007 5:31 PM EDT: Too much Cho and too much Imus and broadcast editors are rightly being criticized. Print editors should also be more closely scrutinized regarding the front-page pictures on papers and on the covers of magazines. These images linger and do not disappear when the next story is played. The print media has long been irresponsible when glamorizing felond and mobsters.; Reply to this comment


by k-sozer April 20, 2007 4:53 PM EDT: I know this is not fashionable, but there are things that are indecent to broadcast. We know that the shooter was gravely mentally ill, we've seen more than enough evidence of the depth of his depravity. No useful purpose would be served, for anyone, by the additional broadcast of any portion of his rantings.

I deliberately have stopped using the shooter's name or identity in referring to him, just as VT students have. His memory should be, and will be, obliterated.; Reply to this comment