NBC identifies Cho's accomplice whilst looking in the mirror

We know one thing for sure: Cho Seung-Hui's goal was to terrorize: To terrorize the victims, their families, classmates, friends, colleagues, and anyone with a conscience. Just as the dormitory murders of Emily Hilscher and Ryan Clark merely served as his diversionary tool, the murders of 30 more at Norris Hall did not signal and end to his plans for terror. As every news outlet is quick to frequently remind us, this is a record-setting murder spree. In planning this, Cho knew that it would saturate the networks when the results of his actions became known. Thus, he took steps to control how his message was broadcast once he was dead. Rather than leave the news media to put their own version together based on leaks, bits of witness accounts, and speculation-as-newstainment, he literally mailed his terrorizing materials to NBC between murders.

Since I take "need to know" with a grain of salt just as I do most other things, I will say that the airing and posting these materials by NBC was not done in the interest of informing the public. I have read something akin to "at least it answers one question: what Cho was doing those two hours". Sharing that answer with the public can be as simple as reporting it as a fact, as in "the package also included disturbing images of Cho in threatening poses with a gun", and still answers the question.

Instead, they choose to allow Cho to directly terrorize what is now a huge audience through words and images meant only to be broadcast in the immediate wake of his murders, when the terror and grief are still painfully raw.

NBC says they took 4 hours to "agonize" over the decision over Cho's "confusing" message. The problem is that the message is clear and NBC not only heard it, but decided to comply with it's intent: to provide the medium for a dead Cho to further terrorize through his own words and images, including splashing the photo of Cho pointing the barrel of a gun directly at the camera all over the place.

Since NBC took the time to, dare I say, plan this, I find them culpable in Cho's plan to terrorize hundreds of millions of people.

I stand behind the families who have refused to speak to NBC in protest. I stand with our family friend, currently with a family member who in the hospital; one of the many victims of the bullets that came out of that gun.

But more to the point, fuck you NBC.