Marilyn Manson to Blame Again?

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Today, Oprah is centering her talk show on NBC’s decision to air the “multimedia manifesto” from the Virginia Tech massacre. The most pressing questions being, “Should the media continue to give attention to these people,” “Does it provoke them, and “Are they to blame?”

Before the videos were aired, news casters pointed the finger at school officials, then video games and movies, particularly the Meryl Streep film, “Dark Matter,” which bears a striking resemblance to the Virginia Tech killer. In fact, it is surprising that Marilyn Manson has not been linked to this school shooting in some way, considering he is so often found to blame by some obscure connection. The family’s public apology apparently spares them from any blame, which is the usual handling in these types of tragedies.

The gunmen sent the package directly to NBC, knowing the media would further his message by airing the content. These “school shooters” are growing further aware of the impact they can have by partnering up with the media, even if it occurs in death. Their faces and words are seen on every news channel, and they become immortalized, martyrs for their cause- present in death in the way that they could never be present in life.

Is NBC responsible for helping perpetuate this murderer’s cause? They state, they edited as sensitively as they could, but NBC anchor Brian Williams claims, “To me there was never a debate. This was news. This is journalism.” He goes on to say the news organization’s aim was to answer the questions that had been asked in the previous days. “Did he act alone? Who is he? What was his motivation? What did he do in the two hours the campus wasn’t locked down between shootings? All those four questions were materially answered here.”