Way Off Blog Post: NBC and a Killer’s Press Kit
18th April 2007
Warning: This post is completely off topic for the blog. Nothing about persuasion theory and research and its application in the world. Just a values-based post . . .
By now you’ve probably learned that the Virginia Tech attacker used the time between attacks to mail a press kit to NBC. The folks at NBC knew exactly what to do with it. They called the cops. Oh. And they made copies of it. Then they hid this knowledge from the rest of the world until the 6:30pm Nightly News with Brian Williams. And they showed selected portions from the press kit. But not all of it. They saved some for tomorrow’s broadcast of the Today show. They brought in their expert, a former FBI profiler, who explained on camera that killers often create information like this as a means of attacking their victims yet again. (Imagine that you were in one of those classrooms, survived it, then turn on NBC tonight and see the killer again on live TV explaining why he tried to kill you. Imagine one of your kids went through this. Imagine.)
NBC would air video of people having live sex with dead animals if they could find a tasteful and newsworthy angle on it. They are infamous, corrupt, and without value, ethic, or commandment.
I’m sure they agonized over this press kit in much the same way they agonized over Don Imus. Where’s the line? What do you stand for? What are the values of this organization?
Are there no adults in the room at NBC? No one with common sense, good taste, and simple respect? And these folks are the sophisticated ones. The new best and brightest. An elite of America.
Shoot fire.