I don’t really have a problem with NBC’s decision to air this, because it’s the people’s right to see this kind of thing, and in this day and era of media, it would have gotten out anyway.
Apparently, however, many are bashing NBC.
NBC’s decision to broadcast portions of Seung-hui Cho’s angry rants triggered a storm of condemnation Thursday from viewers and victims’ relatives, illuminating the treacherous middle ground between exposure and exploitation in a fast-moving news cycle.
A day after receiving a package containing the Virginia Tech gunman’s profanity-laced writings and videos, mailed shortly before his second round of shootings, NBC drastically curtailed its use of the images, as did most of its television brethren.
My objection was 100% to do with NBC’s choice to plaster their logo on every inch possible, that was a tad shameful. I do not see many people saying “oh great, must see TV…” rather they will associate the negative thoughts of the event with NBC. Whomever made that call should probably not be responsible for making such calls.