Media Ignorance
Why is it considered justifiable to air footage of the aftermath of carnage in Afghanistan and Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East where a suicide bomber has struck? Why do the various news channels insist on giving us footage of this yet when a gunman sends in footage and information to NBC there is a backlash and many news outlets decide that they don’t want to show it?
What’s the difference? Why is it acceptable to show footage from Iraq and the rest of the Mid East, with people reacting to the horrific events that have just happened yet the same outlets can’t grow a pair of balls and show the footage sent in by the Virginia Tech gunman?
Is it not the same thing? The only difference is that for Americans it happened it their backyard and it’s a fresh wound.
How do you think the Iraqis would feel if they knew that their misery was broadcast every night?
You can’t have your cake and eat it too!
At the CBC, we debated the issue throughout the evening and made the decision that we would not broadcast any video or audio of this bizarre collection.
On CBC Television, Radio and CBC.ca, we would report the essence of what the killer was saying, but not do what he so clearly hoped all media would do. To decide otherwise — in our view — would be to risk copycat killings.
I had this awful and sad feeling that there were parents watching these excerpts on NBC who were unaware they will lose their children in some future copycat killing triggered by these broadcasts.
Tony Burman, editor-in-chief, CBC News
Very well then, Mr. Burman, if it is the opinion of CBC that airing the footage would spark copycat responses, they why air the footage of the aftermath of a suicide bomber attack? It only enrages those who have felt a loss.
NBC had the balls to air it despite the resulting backlash.
There are two choices, either air all the material in the same objective manner as its the media’s job to disseminate the information they are given or air none of it and provide a simple explanation of what happened.
Stumble It!
April 20th, 2007 at 11:16 am
What’s the difference? The CBC considers North Americans to be people deserving dignity, but not Iraqis.
April 20th, 2007 at 11:25 am
The difference is that there are people affected by the actions of a highly disgruntled individual.