2008 Woodie Awards
Footage insensitive to students' grief
Journalists' cameras focus on gross images viewers shouldn't see in broadcast
Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: Viewpoints
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The job of the journalist is to report the news, not exploit victims or the situation itself. What happened Monday morning was the worst shootout in U.S. history. It was heinous, it was devastating, and it was tragic. It was not an opportunity for a reporter to get further ahead.
When I turned on the news to find out about the shooting, I expected reporting and sympathy. These journalists should be interviewing people who want to be interviewed and tell the viewers the facts. There is no need for a close-up shot on a puddle of blood. How is that reporting the news? It's not - that is exploiting the victim who was there.
You cannot possibly justify recording blood on concrete as a background for your news segment or repeatedly airing a video in which gunshots are counted. All that kept going through my head was that these shots they were counting were students and professors losing their lives. I didn't feel that I was being informed about a disaster.
I felt like the reporters were being inconsiderate of families and friends watching that news cast who were worrying if the people behind those shots were their loved ones.
The shooter is the real monster in this catastrophe. There is no doubt about that. It's horrible, and I don't need to tell anyone reading this newspaper how horrific the event was. Instead, I focus on journalists who make themselves look bad when they forget about ethics and concentrate only on having the most to share. In a time like this, the people watching for information should be witnessing more attention on sympathy and respect.
This is far from being an isolated incident, either, which is what makes it so frustrating.
I can't tell you how many times I've turned on the news to find out that a child has been hit by a car, kidnapped or something just as traumatic, and the cameraman is zoomed in on a pink-laced tennis shoe in the middle of the road. Tasteless is the only word for that.
I am not saying that journalists are heartless, egocentric people who don't care about what's going on - here in the newsroom I know that this is not the case. It is true, however, that some need to reevaluate their tactics and remember what their job is as a journalist: to serve and inform the public, not exploit a tragedy.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
James M. Sessoms
posted 4/18/07 @ 1:33 AM EST
As a soldier with the US Army in Iraq, I have consistantly observed the exploitive nature of the press and their coverage of events in Iraq. Unfortunately, horrible violence has struck a small town in Virginia and the vultures of the press are quick to use this horrific event to better their ratings through exploiting the tragedy and suffering of others. (Continued…)
Jennifer
posted 4/18/07 @ 2:14 AM EST
Very well stated. Unfortunately, we both know this is something that we are going to have to put up with for a long time to come unless some highly unexpected changes occur in the practices of news groups, or some sort of regulation/censorship is established to prevent these types of things from occurring. (Continued…)
jason9
Jason
posted 4/18/07 @ 6:14 AM EST
Thtop being so thensitive! The newsroom mantra has always been "if it bleeds, it leads." I watched a lot of the coverage on FOX and didn't seen anything I considered insensitive or disrespectful of the students feelings. (Continued…)
M
posted 4/18/07 @ 9:11 AM EST
As a journalist, I partially agree with you. There have been times where I have been appalled at the insensitivity of the journalist or appalled by how much they harp on one event. (Continued…)
Dick
posted 4/18/07 @ 11:25 AM EST
What is news? The question is not that the news is insensitive. When Teddy Kennedy and Chris Dodd were making waitress sandwiches in South Boston dives, that was considered insensitive by the Globe, whose reporter told me that this story of his was spiked in favor of a hit piece on Ronald Reagan. (Continued…)
Paul Ruppert
posted 4/18/07 @ 9:00 PM EST
I think what we have to relize is that in this instent that none of the reporters are going to get an award for reporting this tragety. The quality of the reporters these days is lacking terribly. (Continued…)
R
posted 4/19/07 @ 12:55 PM EST
Listen, I can understand that news reporters can be somewhat insensitive to the issues they cover. Understand this--we watch movies and television programs every day that show issues of violence. (Continued…)
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