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Originally Posted by David
Not any more. Last night on TV, during the DINNER HOUR, the news was broadcasting graphic video of bodies of homeless under a bridge. The explanation is that this is "news" & that the "public has a right to know."
At the dinner hour, it isn't my rights I'm concerned about. It's my stomach!
Broadcast news continually tests my gag reflex to the very limits of my endurance. I wish they'd knock it off.
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i work for a national tv newscast. and you raise an interesting point of discussion. you have no idea how much debate and consideration we go through everytime we are faced with pictures that some might find disturbing. when we do air footage of, say, bodies of civilians killed in iraq, or gaza, or lebanon, or israel, the usual reason we have decided to do so is because as a news organization, it is our job to report the news and reflect reality. it is not our job to whitewash, and help people deny to themselves that there are atrocities happening around the world. if one chooses to watch news, one has made a choice (i believe) to see the world as it is.
a few weeks ago, however, one of our producers cut a story that was talking about a bombing in iraq. several young children and babies were killed, along with adults. the producer included footage of the dead children laid out. our senior producer freaked out - and made her take them out. so, dead adults were okay to show. dead children were not. it sparked great debate at our desk. and it is a continuing debate that we will continue to have. each incident is decided on an individual basis.
another incident we faced: last year, someone with a gun took a woman hostage in the middle of morning rush hour in downtown toronto. all the networks were live on the shot of the man holding her, and the police all around... when one of the cops got a clear shot - and killed the man. on live tv, in front of hundreds of people on the street.
did we run the footage of the man being shot later that night? no.
just thought i'd let you know that, at least where i work, showing pictures that may disturb is not a decision that is made lightly and without thought and consideration.
i actually find it more disturbing and heartwrenching to see pictures of families wailing and agonizing over the loss of a child (or the loss of any loved one). but we never hesitate to run those pictures. i wonder why that is. the suffering is just as brutal.
btw, our air times are 9pm and 10pm, but in parts of the country, because of time zones, we are on at 6pm. and we did not, and will not, show the photo of diana dying.