Violence and the Media
It seems that the national media outlets have come to their senses. According to Fox News Online, the cable news channel will stop broadcasting pictures and video from the sickening manifesto sent to NBC news by the Virginia Tech maniac. Other cable news channels will "severely limit their use".
It's about time.
I caught a few glimpses of the madman's videos and photos. It was nearly impossible to over the past 24 hours. Just turn on the television and there they were. But after seeing a few clips, I changed the channel and vowed to myself not to watch the news again until the madness was over.
Personally I do not think that the photos, and especially the videos, should have been aired on nationwide television. Who does it benefit? The only ones who really need to see them are the police investigators and forensic psychologists. There may be much they can learn to hopefully prevent another tragedy in the future. But the rest of us really had no need to see this garbage.
Not only do I not think that it should have been aired on tv, but I think that our local newspaper, the Greenville News, should have practiced more responsibility by not putting one of the pictures smack on the front of today's paper.
I have young children in my house. They do not need to see this stuff. I can turn off the tv. And I hope that others with children around did the same. Frankly any parent that let their kids watch those clips needs a lesson in responsible parenting!
But this morning when we brought in the paper, we immediately had to remove the front section so that the children wouldn't see it. And yet everywhere we went today, that face of evil holding two guns was staring at us. In the newspaper boxes. At the grocery store. Everywhere newspapers were available.
Why couldn't the paper have just put it on an inside page if they had to show it?
Unfortunately journalists seem to think that violence sells. Perhaps it does. But perhaps it is also contributing to the desensitization of violence which is so rampant in the country today. And with the airing of the photos and videos, we are pushed further in to a state of desensitization.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims at Virginia Tech, their families, the survivors, and their community at large. I hope none of them had to see this.
Consider joining Virginia Tech in their Orange and Maroon Effect day tomorrow, April 20th, by wearing orange and maroon.
It's about time.
I caught a few glimpses of the madman's videos and photos. It was nearly impossible to over the past 24 hours. Just turn on the television and there they were. But after seeing a few clips, I changed the channel and vowed to myself not to watch the news again until the madness was over.
Personally I do not think that the photos, and especially the videos, should have been aired on nationwide television. Who does it benefit? The only ones who really need to see them are the police investigators and forensic psychologists. There may be much they can learn to hopefully prevent another tragedy in the future. But the rest of us really had no need to see this garbage.
Not only do I not think that it should have been aired on tv, but I think that our local newspaper, the Greenville News, should have practiced more responsibility by not putting one of the pictures smack on the front of today's paper.
I have young children in my house. They do not need to see this stuff. I can turn off the tv. And I hope that others with children around did the same. Frankly any parent that let their kids watch those clips needs a lesson in responsible parenting!
But this morning when we brought in the paper, we immediately had to remove the front section so that the children wouldn't see it. And yet everywhere we went today, that face of evil holding two guns was staring at us. In the newspaper boxes. At the grocery store. Everywhere newspapers were available.
Why couldn't the paper have just put it on an inside page if they had to show it?
Unfortunately journalists seem to think that violence sells. Perhaps it does. But perhaps it is also contributing to the desensitization of violence which is so rampant in the country today. And with the airing of the photos and videos, we are pushed further in to a state of desensitization.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims at Virginia Tech, their families, the survivors, and their community at large. I hope none of them had to see this.
Consider joining Virginia Tech in their Orange and Maroon Effect day tomorrow, April 20th, by wearing orange and maroon.
posted by Susan | 3:32 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home