NBC's decision to air VT killer's video diatribe

Should NBC have aired the video diatribe that Virginia Tech's gunman sent in?

Personally, I think yes & no..but ultimately, I think the video should not have been aired.

First of all, it was ethical in a sense that it informs the public, students and other Universities, and those that were affected by it. It explains why he did what he did and what he was probably doing during those two hours. The video sort of completed the puzzle in a way. Everyone discovered what his intentions were, what he had against others..it answered all the questions people were probably wondering about since it had happened. It was also ethical in a sense that it would make everyone become more aware of their surroundings.

However, with that said, even though the public were given these answers, it might've shocked a lot of viewers especially those that were his classmates or those that knew him. It's something that was unexpected and it can't be undone. It also might've scared some viewers. Since this was on a news channel, assuming that families sometimes watch the news together, it is likely that even young children caught glimpses of the video and I don't think that's a good picture to have.

I was in the middle of eating dinner when I first saw the video on the news. And when I did see it, I lost all my appetite. All I could think about was the video and that night I had a hard time falling asleep because I was shocked and afraid. I felt like these sort of things can happen anywhere, not necessarily on college campuses. (In fact last night I heard in the news that someone opened fire in a crowded mall!) It made me feel unsafe but it also made me be aware of how I might treat others.

That brings me to another thing as to why I don't think it was a good idea to air the whole video because it could've influenced other people (not necessarily students, but anyone) who have an extremely high temper to do the same thing. I hate to say or even think this but it might be possible that other angry people who may not have a care in the world might think "oh i could do better than that" and then act upon it.

How can we be sure that showing the VT video diatribe will prevent similar events from happening again?

I wonder... what were the processes that the NBC people went through and what their thoughts were when they were deciding whether or not to air the video?

If it were me that had to make that sort of decision, it would be to have talked about it but only to a certain extent that doesn't include the stuff that might scare or influence others. It's just too much, especially for the victims and their families. The video provided answers..although some of it was unnecessary, the important matter now is the security issues. If this is what the gunman had been doing during those 2 hours between the first and second shootings, he could have been stopped. I was surprised that no one caught him because 2 hours just seems like a long time...