We Knew It

Mass murderer Cho Seung-Hui apparently mailed his “manifesto” to NBC News after killing two people at Virginia Tech, and before killing another 30 plus himself. Cho earned his fame by shooting to death the largest number of people in U.S. history. In his manifesto, Cho referred to “martyrs like Eric and Dylan” — according to NBC a reference to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the teenagers who killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., eight years ago this coming Friday.

In death, Cho got the fame he sought. As an aside, he made NBC even more famous. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, in probably not his finest hour, gloated on air, “This will go down as a major chapter in NBC News history.”

Television loves this story. Mass murder. Attractive, articulate young people, many with lives snuffed out that were full of promsie. A beautiful campus. Heroes. Bureaucratic screw-ups. A small enough number of people killed that we can get to know them individually. And now the mass murderer, his details—writing, pictures, video—the villain offering stories to keep the media going for days.

Media need murderers. Sick, ignored unknowns need fame. A marriage made in hell.

Footnote: While media love this story, some liberals may not if the Virginia Tech massacre results in legislation putting the mentally ill under tighter control.