I agree that they're not just being paranoid, but I think there's a qualitative difference here from the examples linked, which is that there is no linkage (real, partially real, imagined, or otherwise) being made between the fact that Cho was South Korean and what he did, whereas the religion of the 9/11 attackers was a big part of the story. (Before he was identified, I'll grant you, it was kind of inexplicable to he was described only as "Asian and resident at the dormitories" rather than, say, "an undergrad".)

For the record, the saddest thing I've read was this:

I just watched a CNN reporter completely lose his composure while he described the local emergency officials removing the bodies from Norris Hall as the dead students' cell phones were ringing and buzzing, their frantic parents tried to make sure that they were okay. I don't even know what to do with that image.


(From the blog "Schuyler's Monster", I read it quoted in Brooklynite's lj)