I am not sure it was in the best interest of anyone to post the pictures of the gunman in his crazy pose with guns. Do the victims family members have to be reminded of this madmans distorted face. It was most likely the last thing the victims saw before being killed.

Yes, having obtained the pictures they have the right to post them but wouldnt the space have been put to better use by posting warning signs of someone with severe mental problems and how to get them off the street.

I am not sure it was in the best interest of anyone to post the pictures of the gunman in his crazy pose with guns

I agree. This psychopathic asswipe deserves as little personal attention as possible. He sent the stuff to NBC because his sick mind wished them to air it, and it's exactly what they're doing.

The decision to release it isn't an easy one, unless they could keep the existence of the package a secret (and they wouldn't). Show it and some get pissed. Don't show it and there's an outcry that the media is hiding something.

It satisfies a natural curiosity of the "normal" people to know what was in this guy's head. But I agree with critics to some extent that it gives fodder to copycats. Then again the copycats would have just killed people and done something different... I'm not in the crowd that thinks someone who isn't otherwise that fucked up would see this and suddenly turn fucked up. If nothing else maybe someone will happen upon a lunatic when he's filming his video and call the cops before he can start killing people.

I think the "bar" that is set, if there is one, is the victim count and not the followup multimedia presentation. It's not like what this guy did was original... the muslim extremists started the video presentation thing.

The decision to release it isn't an easy one

It is a hard subject, indeed.

I'm not worried that it will spawn copycats. Those psychos are already out there, and they'll do whatever it is their sick minds will do. It's sadly unavoidable.

I just despise the way they portray this guy. I saw the videos and pics, and truthfully I was neither shocked nor horrified. To me, he looked like a stupid, violent asshole. That's it. Just a disturbed loser that deserves no public attention whatsoever.

But the media, they make him into some ridiculous monstrous figure, showing him pointing guns, swinging hammers, etc. They instill his fear into people, and it serves whatever "purpose" he was trying to make...

When all he really should be is a brief object of scorn and ridicule, a cowardly person that is only remembered with a smug contempt.

Those pictures depicted a dickless 120 lb weakling. Why I bet even Inkahootz could take him.

I doubt inkahootz could get this guy into a socially crowded situation enough to make him stand under the plasma screen at his lame hangout. After he's done with the dishes inkahootz looks under the plasma to see who is standing there who might want to fight.

I am glad to see that a lot of news agencys have taken down the photos of the guy with his guns displayed.
I heard there was quite a bit of public backlash.

The last thing the victims friends and families need to see while they go about burying their loved ones is a photo of this guy being armed with the same guns that took the lives.

Maybe they will learn that grabbing a sensational picture is less important than acting like a responsible journalist. I agree with Meeper that plastering his picture on every thing in town only helps to encourage copy cats that here is a great way to get your picture in the news.