Henry Hanks points to a Howard Kurtz column on the most idiotic piece of sniper-related coverage yet — the letter from serial killer David Berkowitz sent to Fox News reporter Rita Cosby.
According to Kurtz, Cosby sent a sychophantic letter to Berkowitz,
“Your personal story and spiritual growth inspired me to write to you,” Cosby told Berkowitz in a letter. Sometimes, she wrote, “the Lord calls on individuals at various times to serve him and serve his people. . . . I believe as a Christian your help is a great service. . . .
“You have a testimony that must be heard. . . . Our world is crying and you can help.”
Cosby insists she wasn’t trying to diminsh Berkowitz’s crimes and reported on Berkowitz’s criminal record.
But she’s missing the point, just like the cable news channels churning around 24/7 coverage of the Maryland-area murderer are doing — the media is turning the shooter in this case into a celebrity, much as they turned Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold into celebrities after Columbine.
Look, killing other people is not a particularly difficult thing to do. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to take a rifle, wait in a wooded area, and pick off someone from less than 100 yards.
The tarot card left behind at the scene of one of the killings supposedly said “I am god.” The killer should have added in parenthesis “or at least the media thinks I am.”
Cosby’s message to Berkowitz is especially infuriating. Her basic premise is that since Berkowitz killed several people, that it is appropriate to treat him as some sort of expert on serial killing. What’s next? Larry King interviewing Berkowitz for his views on the best way to taunt police during a serial killing?