NBC is D-U-M-B

There are a lot of things you could say in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. My first thought was, "are those Vick brothers still at that school?" Of course what happened this week was awful and horrifying and there a million ways it could have been prevented. There is no question that mistakes were made along the way. I'm sure everyone who came into contact with that kid wishes they had stepped up and done just a little bit more. But this recent tragedy reminds me of 9-11. Sure, there were signs, but nobody could really comprehend such a heinous act. A tragedy brings out people's true colors. Many in the situation acted heroically, or at least bravely, when faced with their imminent deaths. And then there's NBC News.

When that kid mailed them his manifesto, NBC was presented with an opportunity. But they didn't see the right opportunity. They only saw the obvious one. They saw it as a way to stand out. "Hey, it's news, right? We've been presented with a large piece of information in a breaking national news story. Of course we have to air it. If people don't like it, they can change the channel or just look away."

It's almost impossible to look away, even if you want. And now, because of NBC's decision to wallpaper the media with images of that little scumbag, I know what that kid looked like. And to know what that kid looks like makes it even worse, if that's possible.

I was ranting about this to a friend of mine in the news business and he asked me, "What was NBC supposed to do?" They could have taken a day to think about it. The O.J. book seemed like a good idea at the time, until the backlash caused it to rightfully be killed. Rumor has it after the book was cancelled, they let O.J. take it out back and stab it.

Now, in answer to my friend in the news business, here's an option for what NBC News could have done.

INT. NBC NIGHTLY NEWS STUDIO - 6:30 EASTERN STANDARD TIME

Brian Williams looks into the camera.

BRIAN WILLIAMS
Good evening. I'm Brian Williams. Today a package was sent to our offices from the man responsible for the horrific killings at Virginia Tech. The package contained a multi-media manifesto, complete with photos, videos, and a written 1,800-word rant. The whole package is chilling. There was great internal debate here at NBC News over whether to release this manifesto to the public. We have chosen not to do so for the following reasons. It is evidence in an ongoing investigation so we turned it over the FBI. But more importantly, today was a make-or-break day for us in the news business. We feel that the story has been and will be sufficiently reported on. We feel that glorifying this troubled young man will only encourage copycats in the future. In his manifesto, he mentioned the Columbine shooters by name. This only cemented our decision. We cannot make this young man a martyr. We are going to keep reporting on this story, because it is in fact news. But we are going to focus on the events as they occur and most importantly, we are going to celebrate and publicize the lives of the victims, who were all very special people who were loved by many. We are going to do everything in our power to not grant the final wish of a deranged young man. We hope you respect our decision.

But of course that didn't happen. I guess all that's left to do is look away.