Hello fellow MSWs,

I write to you because frankly, I am appalled at certain aspects of the
media's coverage of the Virginia Tech incident and the assailant. I know my
message alone will not be heard unless there is support in numbers. And so,
please read
this letter and if you feel similar sentiments about the media coverage, then
please, write a
letter to the media. I will write a generic letter for everyone to sign who
wishes with the
addresses to NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and the Associated Press.

here is a copy of my personal letter i will be sending out:

April 19, 2007

To Whom It May Concern:

As a student in the Master's program for Social Work at San Jose State
University, I write
with a heavy heart in regards to the Virginia Tech incident and the media's
coverage. While
I certainly believe in the liberating freedom of speech and of the press, I also
believe that
the beauty of freedom is exemplified most when responsibility is also taken into
account.
With this in mind, I implore you to acknowledge the effects of your portrayal of
those seen
as "others" on the public.

The motivation to write this letter lays in my observation of several YouTube
comments to
different media videos, exhibiting the horrors of backlash. The words "gooks,"
"japs," and
"chink," are laced across comments with hatred and ignorance. Now, certainly
these
individuals need to take personal responsibility for their words. And perhaps
this incident
is a breeding ground for those conversations. However, I feel the media's role
should NOT
be one of sensationalizing and igniting this conversation.

I constantly read that Cho is an "immigrant." And yet, he lived in the United
States for 15
of his 23 years- the majority of his life. For all intents and purposes, Cho
Seung-Hui was
a Korean-American, an Asian-American, an American. I can only presume that the
change
in cultures at a young age was challenging, but in the end, Cho grew up in the
United
States. He was an American. The media's identification of Cho as an immigrant
builds on
the fear of "others." Words of denial that "the shooter was not an American,
he's not one
of us, he's one of them," ring louder and louder. And this is where the media
treads
dangerous waters. When we identify the assailant by his ethnic background and
deny his
American-ness, we create rifts within our society. How many Korean immigrants
must
now live in fear of backlash? How many Asian Americans must now live in fear of
backlash
simply because the assailant has been identified as a Korean immigrant and not
as an
American? Has this become an issue of Korean immigrants, or is this an issue of
OUR
troubling youth?

As an (In the Word file, Asian-American is crossed out for effect.) American, I
feel our
nation is in need of unity for those in mourning. I observe so much hatred for
races,
ethnicities, nationalities, and the assailant, and it saddens me. I do not
condone his
actions, and yet, I feel sympathy for the assailant, as well as the victims, for
the torment
Cho Seung-Hui experienced that led to such a tragic decision. So when I hear or
read
words describing Cho Seung-Hui as an immigrant or a "stupid Korean bastard," I
wonder,
"Isn't this the same mentality that contributed to his state of mind?" What if
we all take an
active role to unify individuals instead of exploiting the nation's already
heightened sense
of discrimination and fear?

Thank you for your time, and I ask that you take my words into consideration.
Take
caution in the words and content of the news coverage, and consider the
consequences of
how this heartbreaking incident can be covered. Or will this be another Katrina
"looting,"
"American defeats Michelle Kwan"-type of journalism exploiting the fear of
"others?"

Sincerely,

Brian Lai