Censoring Cdn. media from showing dead soldiers
 

Although there's already been a few threads about the recent issue of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper banning the media from showing footage of dead soldiers returning from Afghanistan - last night my wife and I witnessed a prime example of why we think his decision is perhaps a good one.

CTV Network aired a tragic story about a little 3-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a vehicle after getting out of her father's car on a street in front of her school. Most disturbing about their coverage of the story was the cameraman's extreme closeups of a blood-soaked blanket lying crumbled next to the curb and a large pool of blood in the gutter. Then...to our total dismay - they showed footage of a fireman using a big firehose to power-wash the blood off the street and down a sewer drain.

Reality....yes. But was this necessary? What did these scenes add to the fabric of the story?

But to us, this exemplified how the media quite often simply can't control themselves from showing tasteless scenes that the public just doesn't need to see. There was nothing beneficial to the story by showing these scenes...it was nothing more than reckless and thoughtless journalism. Put yourself in the shoes of the poor girl's parents. Would YOU want to see images of the bloody blanket your dead child was wrapped in, a pool of blood in the gutter...and firemen hosing down the street after a tragic accident?

My jury was still out over Harper's decision to ban the media from showing returning soldier coffins - but after last night I now tend to think he's quite justified.

The news isn't about news anymore, It's about sensationalism and drama, much like GFY.

Ron Burgandy would be disappointed.

If you don't like this type of news reporting, you change station ... CBC would probably be more discreet than Global ... They each have their specific market .

And if you can't stand either of them, you switch off your TV.

The motives behind not showing the coffins coming home is a political, not humanitarian one.

Changing the station is obviously a choice we all have.

But that's not the issue here.

I'm talking about a media that is up in arms over the government's decision not to allow them to show coverage of dead soldiers returning home in caskets; a media that demonstrates they're incapable of discretion while arguing they can exercise sensitivity with the soldier's coverage.

Government's shouldn't have any control over journalism. There are plenty of countries that do this and we usually pretend like we are better then them.

eh, I dont think censorship is the answer, but they need to be rated for mature content, that is NOT family programing.

the lowest common denominator has spoken.

there's a thing called respect and another called maturity.
Sad that a governement has to force it.

I think you completely missed the point of the first post.

Its not about changing stations because you don't like something, its about the media's inability to utilize sensitivity, discretion and how the public perceives them.

Unfortunately I don't think there are any governments that are mature enough to be the moderater on issues of this nature. imho

yeah that was probably wrong to air the fireman washing blood off the street.

i truly think we are going to hell in a handcart..time to look for land up north..lol

thats only because you're a kid.
you'll grow out of it if you're smart.

It takes years for the liberal indoctrination you get in school to wear off.
:winkwink:

Yeah...i hope to be fully enslaved by the appropriate government policies as they lovingly show me and all of us the true path.

So then you agree the media is perfectly justified in showing scenes of firemen hosing a dead girl's blood off the street into a sewer? And you're perfectly agreeable to the same media covering dead soldiers returning home in caskets with the same level of 'sensitivity'?

Fine.

Let's hope none of those caskets accidentally tips over and spills its contents on the tarmac. Because following that logic, the cameramen would trip over themselves angling for the tightest closeup.

oh brother...i didn't say anything is justified here...just that government's role in censorship is a bigger issue then just what some cameraman or network decides to show

News is a business ... Do you think CNN, FoxNews or CTVnews and so on are doing it solely to inform you .... it's all about $ and :2 cents:

As a follow-up to this story - I had sent the network an email expressing both my wife and I's disappointment and disgust with the footage they'd aired...fully expecting it to fall on deaf and apathetic ears.

It didn't.

Just this morning I received an email reply from Paul Rogers, vice-president of CTVNetwork. In it, he initially replied that after reviewing the footage himself...it didn't contain the scenes that we had witnessed. Furthermore, he went on to say that his network adheres to the RTNDA and CAB Code of Ethics with regards to depictions of violence...and in particular stories that deal with children.

So I replied back to him saying we were 100% certain we'd seen the footage and that we definitely weren't delusional. I suggested there may have been confusion between the 11pm national broadcast and the 11:30pm local broadcast from CFTO-TV - and that he should review all of it.

I hit the email send - and less than one minute later my phone rings. Its Paul Rogers. He'd been sitting on his email and just then got my reply!

So we had a very good conversation - and clarified which broadcast we'd seen the footage on. Turns out, he had only reviewed last night's broadcast, and not the initial airing of the story. He was just as appalled and shocked as I was - and earnestly promised to look into the matter fully.

"Heads are gonna roll if indeed that footage went on the air that night," he said. "Its certainly not our policy to show such things on our network, and I'll definitely be getting to the bottom of this immediately."

He promised to get back in touch asap.

Sounds as the though the shit's gonna hit the fan there this afternoon. :)

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh

Yes, news is a business just like any other. That's a given.

That doesn't override the fact that they're also accountable to industry standard codes of conduct and ethics.

Looks like we can put this story to bed now.

The network vice-president sent another email follow-up a short time ago and said:

Hello again, thanks for the chance to chat on the phone. I agree, the video that was aired on Wednesday night was inappropriate. I suspect it was a well-intentioned reporter trying to tell a compelling story, but the end result was insensitive and we did a disservice to our viewers. I will be reviewing this issue with the reporter and senior staff. I apologize to you and your wife, and I hope you will give us a chance to regain your confidence in us.

Good to know you support government censorship. Burn in hell and die retard. The people who are in favor of censorship would like to see everyone here in jail.

I mean, how stupid can you be? Censorship a good idea? For political reasons no less. Good God, no wonder our world is in such terrible shape, people have become completely mindless.

If you don't like to see what's going on in the world, watch the smurfs. Most grownups (hopefully) can still handle seeing reality.

So what do you think the response would be if I said I was outraged at the lack of real intense and honest reporting on the Iraq war?

Or that denying us of the real pain and suffering the soldiers are going through too fight this bitch.

I'm sure apologies would be forthcoming...right.

Wonder if the network vice-president would be as co-operative if he new you are a porn producer, S&M on top of that ...

Maybe forward this thread, just to see :1orglaugh


On my side, I hate it when they show those gay parades on TV... I think it degrades my morality ... It should be banned....

Oups, just a second, someone is taping on my shoulder ....

Yes ? what ? you don't like seeing the reports about starvation in Africa ... you want that banned ... Let me see if that can also be done ...

Yes! Done ! from now on, our TV will only show " I dream of Jeannie " ....

What, she has a flimsy attire ... and it is of Arab descent .. you want that banned also ...

OK.. shut the fucking TV .

This thread has really become home to a few clueless minds.

You label Silent Knight as a retard and hope he burns in hell because he took his complaints to a TV network over their tasteless airing of video images showing firefighters hosing a dead girl's blood off the street. You accuse him of supporting government censorship because he called out the media on their lack of ethics and sensitivities.

That's wonderful.

Real deep intellectual prowess there. Its quite obvious you have no children of your own (thankfully) - and weren't subjected to viewing material you found offensive and objectionable from a parental standpoint.

He was pointing out the justification that the government is using for banning media coverage of the dead soldiers - the media's inability to restrain themselves from showing objectionable content to the general public. In this particular instance, I can see how the two issues are totally analogous.

No where did I see him say he supports a blanket government censorship as you make it sound. The guy is a bdsm producer for a living for chrissake - do you really think he supports government censorship?

Think about it (if you're capable).

Before taking a discussion to a personal level - labeling people retards and expressing a desire to see them burn in hell - you should use a little of the gray matter between your ears and actually read.

You might learn something.

WTF does the fact that I'm an adult photographer have to do with the topic of this thread?!?

You're a fucking simpleton.

Didn't you know that due to your porn producer status - you're not entitled to an opinion or commentary on mainstream media issues? :winkwink:

When surfers visit your website, they know they'll be viewing porn. When you turn on your nightly news, its not with the expectation of seeing some firefighter flushing a dead girl's blood down a street sewer. Big difference.

The fact that even the vice-president of the network admitted his own outrage to the insensitivity and inappropriateness of his station's footage says it all.

I'd say the complaints were totally justified and vindicated. The media should be held to uphold certain ethics, and all too often they cross the line either intentionally or accidentally.

Perhaps we should just ban condescending morons like you and be done with this nonsense. Save us all a lot of time.

Precisely.

Well said. :thumbsup

imo, the 11pm news shouldn't be for kids. i think they are supposed to be in bed by then.

either way, the media is fucked as to how they portray 'reality' to the masses and the only government regulations that should exist involving media is to make sure it isn't owned by a small minority of powerful corporations.