Now that NBC and MSNBC have made their point - "we're first", etc, they've pulled back from large scale use of the Cho Seung-Hui suicide video.
I think this is a victory for commonsense (maybe) over commercial imperatives. No doubt NBC has made a lot of money from this video - their stories on it have been syndicated globally. But there's been a strong public reaction against it from academics, grief counsellors and from news consumers.
But, on the downside, have we seen the first directly-linked copycat event at the Johnston Space Center. Thankfully, only one "victim" and the "shooter" were killed here. I don't think any link has been confirmed yet, but the suspicion must be there. [My apologies for linking to Fox News on this]
I certainly thought we'd get some reaction like this as soon as I saw the way NBC had treated the Cho Blacksburg tape.
A discussion of contemporary issues in media ethics, with olives and a twist. Made with only the freshest ingredients, shaken, stirred and poured over ice. I should also mention that I do like the odd, occasional martini. Bombay Sapphire gin and Lillet, dry and plenty of salty olives. Welcome to this cocktail of journalism and alcohol. A fine combination!
Showing posts with label copycat killers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copycat killers. Show all posts
Saturday, 21 April 2007
Networks react to public anger over Cho video. Do we have the first copycat?
Posted by
Marty
at
12:39 pm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)


Communication and New Media: From Broadcast to Narrowcast, co-authored with Dr John Harrison