Media responsibility needed
Campus Times
December 3, 1999
The image of a dead man lying on a freeway with a shotgun at his side
and blood massively flowing from his head has been imbedded in the minds
of many.
In April 1998, thousands of Southern California residents watched in
horror as a live broadcast of a man committing suicide as news stations
captured the event live on television.
As a result of this incident, hundreds were outraged or left ill from
witnessing such graphic content. Phone calls flooded news stations with
complaints by upset individuals. All the news stations did was apologize.
History repeated itself last Friday as a Riverside man was shot and
killed after leading police on a three-hour chase beginning in Rancho Cucamonga
and ending in San Diego. Once again, television news helicopters captured
the scene and brought it to the homes of Americans.
Some local news stations involved in the chase included KNBC Channel
4, KTLA Channel 5 and KTTV Channel 11.
The news media involved with last week's incident were once again stuck
with numerous phone calls and apologies to be given. However, many stations
believe that they took the right approach in zooming out of the shot.
Barbara Lewark is the acting executive producer at KFMB in San Diego,
one of the news networks that covered the chase and shooting. According
to the Los Angeles Times, Lewark said, "As soon as we saw he had a
gun, we widened out."
Is that enough? Is watching a man die from a distance rather than being
killed up close any different?
On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, children enjoyed the holiday
break from school, but instead of watching and waiting for their favorite
television shows to resume, many saw the tragic ending.
The news networks should take at least a share of the responsibility
that goes through the eyes of the children who saw the incident. Though
that does not exclude parents from the responsibility of monitoring what
their children are watching on America's most popular babysitter.
Scenes such as this desensitize the public from violence and helps violence
become more accepted.
Journalists seek the truth and report it to the fullest. By not airing
the disastrous conclusion, news reporters would not take away from the truth.
Plus, is the news media being considerate of Michael Alan Thayer's family,
many of whom saw the 49-year-old man's death live on television?
Whether the ex-convict deserved to die or not for pointing a handgun
at police is irrelevant to the matter instead we should ask ourselves if
the incident was newsworthy or if its purpose was just to provide sick entertainment.
Aware that absolutely anything can happen when recording live events,
television networks must be prepared to handle coverage when situations
go horribly wrong. A 10-second delay could protect any audience, especially
children, from viewing graphic death.