Contact: Teresa Tomeo, Author and Media Expert, 586-777-2691, ttomeo@worldnet.att.net, www.teresatomeo.com

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- Among the many shocking images in the package sent to NBC News by murderer Cho Seung-Hui, was a snapshot eerily similar to a character in a violent film. The parallels between Cho and poses struck by the villain in the movie "Oldboy" provide not only clues for investigators but further evidence of a connection between media violence and aggressive behavior.

Teresa Tomeo is the author of a new book "Noise; How our Media Saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families", published by Ascension Press. Tomeo is a veteran broadcast-journalist with 26 years of experience in both the secular and Christian media and has also been writing and speaking on the topic of media awareness for seven years.

"We saw a connection between the school shootings in Paducah Kentucky and the fantasy scenes in the film "Basketball Diaries." We saw it with violent video games, specifically the game "Doom" and the gunmen in Columbine. With Cho, we see him angrily posing with a hammer in his hands ready to strike. The image, according to the New York Times, is a carbon copy of a scene right out of "Oldboy." We also see the connections between media violence and countless other senseless acts that take place every day. Medical organizations and research groups have been studying this problem for decades. Another report released earlier this year showed a dramatic increase in violent programming on prime time TV. "It's time that both the media and media consumers take this issue seriously," said Tomeo.

In her book "Noise", Tomeo discusses how both media outlets and media users need to share in the responsibility. She provides evidence to show the many influences of the media, as well as guidelines for families on how to make a difference in their homes and in the culture. She also takes media moguls to task for repeatedly deflecting the bulk of responsibility on viewers and listeners.

NOTE:
Teresa Tomeo, an award winning reporter and anchor, can also comment on the decision by NBC and other media outlets to run the shocking video/manifesto of the VT gunmen, the fall-out from that decision, and concerns being raised over media sensationalism.