I read about this earlier, and it is very tragic. It seems that bullying is on the rise in schools, but when adults are involved as the bullies? Just incomprehensible. It might be noted that Megan was only 13 years old (I read), and MySpace is supposed to be for 14+. It may be better to play it safe and heavily restrict younger children's activities on the internet. It can be a very intense place.

Sent by S.R. | 9:59 AM ET | 11-19-2007

It's interesting that the parents behaved so childishly. Kids look to adults to show them the proper way to behave and this is the example these parents chose to set for their child? Wow.

Sent by katma | 11:49 AM ET | 11-19-2007

Insane. If the parents were truly involved, then their names should be made public.

Sent by E.H. | 12:36 PM ET | 11-19-2007

E.H.: their names have been made public, along with their home phone number and address. While of course I believe they should be held accountable for their actions -- I'm thinking something along the lines of a civil wrongful death lawsuit that financially destroys them would be an excellent start -- the sort of vigilante justice and death threats they're getting now aren't helping. That behavior drags people down to their level. This is a legal matter at this point, and that's where it should remain.

Sent by Stewart | 1:00 PM ET | 11-19-2007

Firstly, suicide is a complicated event, and poor Megan may have had a predisposition to depression or sucide. That said, her neighbors committed a reprehensible act that should have legal consequences. It seems like a potential libel case to me. The neighbor's used the media (myspace) to post false statements causing emotional harm to Megan. I'm not a lawyer, and it's not a traditional case, but clearly not all speech is protected under the first amendment.

Sent by Anna | 1:58 PM ET | 11-19-2007

I owe the BPP a debt of gratitude. I am a Teaching Assistant at Teacher's College at Columbia and tonight I had to lecture on the topic of bullying. I heard about this depressing story on the show and used it to prompt a discussion in class. Most of the students had not heard about this tragedy, but upon learning about it, we had an informative and thought-provoking conversation.

Sent by Emily | 10:23 PM ET | 11-20-2007

I'm curious.

Currently there are dozens of stories lurking in the mainstream press that are actively identifying a person of interest.

These persons of interest have families. They are the same in many ways to the story of Megan Meier.

Almost all of the cable channels have nightly spots identifying the police officer who's wife died, and another wife vanished.

This officer is a person of interest who has of yet, been charged with any crime.

The press has been naming names since before the French Revolution.

Now, some of the major media are broadcasting the adult's name in this case.

What does this story do to the media's willingness to name names in the future.

Are major media outlets actually working against their of 'Freedom of The Press" birthright?

It would appear we have a bit of a war beginning to brew between one news outlet and another.

Will a few major outlets allow sources like the New York Times and some of the Cable News networks to outdo them here?

It will be interesting to see what long term implications this will have on future reporting.

To print, or not to print.

Interesting question.

Danny Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com

Sent by Danny Vice | 8:07 PM ET | 12-02-2007

While the Megan Meier case seems outrageous and unique, it isn???t unique. Hundreds of cases of egregious and heinous acts go on every day with the same excuses out of our lawmakers.

One such other case....The case of Nikki Catsouras, is a classic example of disgusting, hateful activity against innocent victims, while our lawmakers excuse themselves from enacting laws to prevent this.

The excuse lawmakers use to let themselves off the hook stem from the growth of the Internet and how fast it's changing. This is a sham.

Chat rooms, message boards, instant messengers and email have been in existence for far over a decade now. While the software used to transmit messages changes slightly, the basic essence of using the Internet to send a message is largely the same. Is a decade or two long enough to establish some basic decency laws in regards to Internet usage?

I???ve posted the Nikki Catsouras story along with many details about the Megan Meier case so the inactivity out of our lawmakers towards these types of cases can be clearly seen.

Those who are interested in learning about cases like Megan???s and Nikki???s case are encouraged to drop by and comment on them if you like. I have a couple of polls set up as well. Danny Vice would like to hear your point of view.

Public awareness of the problem and discussions about possible solutions are the best way to pressure elected officials into action instead of excuse making.

I invite you to come by and share your opinion.

Danny Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com

Sent by Danny Vice | 5:18 PM ET | 12-13-2007