A lot of discussion is going around regarding NBC's airing of the video and materials on the Virginia Tech shooting. Harm to the families of the victims - inciting to copy cat effect - exploiting a scoop - real right-to-know of the public... Article in the New York Times on the subject here.
I personally don't feel the public needs to know everything in the gory details - nor has the right to request it. Some things are not for public consumption. And by airing this, NBC has given Cho Seung Hui the fame he was seeking. And if fame was the goal, and media gives in under the premise that it is "news" - thus the public has the right to know - then we can expect to see more horrific acts of this sort in the future.
The best place to go for this debate is Poynteronline, the professional resource center for journalists. NBC's decision to air was discussed by faculty members Al Tompkins & Kelly McBride, responsible for ethics at the Poynter Institute, and the podcast can be accessed here.
Hola faretaste
mekodinosad
Posted by: AnferTuto | July 29, 2007 at 05:32 PM