Sunday, May 13, 2007

Where Is Boundary?

I raised this question once in what manner media should report the things it should be informative sensible and inspiring ,truthful but not inflammatory or provoking violence or sensational news ,it is counter productive in sensitive cases .Reuters reported and elaborate on it:
The Virginia tech shootings have been a defining moment for citizen journalis . They also, once again, raised the question in many people’s minds about how far the media should go in reporting details.

They’ve received a number of thoughtful letters on the subject, and here’s a sample.

I am sadden to see Reuters promoting the senseless acts of the Virginia Tech terrorist… Talk about it, talk about why, in hopes of preventing this sort of thing in the future, but do not play his videos or display his photos.
With the help of the news media, [Cho Seung-Hui] has achieved his place in history… It was NOT necessary to disclose Cho’s video. NBC had a choice.
Those of us seeking solid news do not need to be greeted with this visual. Please have respect for those who are suffering most and remove these disgusting images with those of just Cho’s face.
As a curious reader and as an editor, when something horrible happens I’m drawn to find out as much as possible.

But as a person, I, also, often recoil at the sheer weight of the horror and sometimes the accumulated graphic detail does seem too much. It isn’t a line that’s easy to draw. Our obligation as journalists is to tell the story completely. Our obligation as people is to avoid going overboard.

I believe that the videos the shooter took of himself and the pictures of him holding the guns help make the story immediate and complete. They provide insight into his mind and his world. But I too found a point where I simply couldn’t watch any more; I too found a point where any added detail was superfluous.

It isn’t an easy line to draw, but it’s one that we – and you – have to wrestle with.

When have we told a complete, fair story? When have we given our readers the facts and the data they need to understand what happened? When is it enough? We debate these questions ourselves, but we find the comments you send fascinating and valuable.
Posted by Ajay :: 10:27 AM :: 0 comments

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