Images of a Madman

Did NBC do the right thing?

Was it a public service to air the words and hate-filled diatribe of Cho Seung Hui last night, after his final mailing showed up at the network, or was NBC giving a mass murderer what he wanted?

Was there any other journalistic decision beyond broadcasting at least some of Cho's video and written diatribe, or could the horrifying images, if not the words, been held back out of concern for the loved ones of those who died?

This was no easy decision. Not since the Unabomber demanded that the New York Times and Washington Post publish his endless manifesto has a news organization faced this kind of judgment. In this case, of course, the killer is dead by his own hand, so the only reason to publish his invective is to aid public understanding of the worst gun massacre in American history--or allow him, posthumously, to gloat.

First, this report, with an assist from Jerry Markon:

The unexpected package from Cho Seung Hui that arrived at NBC News yesterday morning contained both a worldwide scoop and a journalistic dilemma.

After turning over the original documents to federal authorities, NBC News President Steve Capus said last night, he faced a "tough call" in deciding how much to air, if any, of the Virginia Tech gunman's expletive-filled video and 1,800-word letter, along with photos of Cho and his guns and bullets.

"We tried to be sensitive to the families involved and to the investigation," Capus said in an interview. While it is "possible" that some relatives of the 32 students shot to death Monday may say that the network is giving the killer the platform he wanted, "they also may say, 'We want to know why. We need to know what was in his head, what drove him to do this.' This is a portrait of a killer."

Capus said Virginia State Police officials, in a conversation about noon, asked NBC to "hold off" on releasing the material until they had a chance to review the material. The state authorities gave NBC the green light about 4:30, saying it would not jeopardize the probe. The network aired portions of the video and note on "NBC Nightly News" at 6:30.

Anchor Brian Williams told viewers: "We are sensitive to how all of this will be seen by those affected, and we know we are, in effect, airing the words of a murderer here tonight. . . . So much of it is so profane, so downright gross and incomprehensible. We tried to edit carefully for broadcast tonight." The segment was posted on http://msnbc.com.

Former FBI agent Clint Van Zandt told Williams that the mailing was Cho's "ultimate victory. This is the way he's victimizing, further victimizing all of us, by reaching out from the grave and grabbing us and getting our attention and making us listen to his last rambling words and pictures."

Of course, no one forced NBC to broadcast those words and pictures. Capus said network journalists debated for hours what they should make public. "There are some things we haven't shown and words we haven't released that are more appropriate to hold back," he said. "Journalists have a responsibility. We're not just here to pass on in direct form raw video and complete documents."