The 2010 Winter Olympics, which are being held in Vancouver, started on Fri.,Feb. 12. The Winter Olympics only come around every four years and the much-awaited games always start off with a spectacular opening ceremony. This year, there was a somber feeling on what was supposed to be a celebratory night. Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian luge slider, died after a test run on the track he was suppose to compete on. During the practice, Kumaristashvili lost control and hit a metal pole.
The footage from the crash is readily available on the Internet, and was shown on several television networks. Just do a quick Google search and you can view the video of the crash, as well as photos of the incident. One website I found had close-up, detailed photos of Kumaritashvili after the crash, with blood on his face while medics tried to aide him.
I took Media and Society with Dr. Tracy last semester and one of the things we discussed in that class was how to determine how much is "too much." Yes, journalists have an obligation and a sense of moral duty to present the news to the general public, but how much should we reveal? I do think the information needs to be out there, but I don't think it all needs to be revealed. A description of what happened is fine, but actual bloody photos? That crosses the line.
I understand that crash videos are very enticing and people tend to be fascinated with them, but let us step back a moment and think about what it is we are talking about. This is not just a video in which an Olympian crashes. A man at the young age of 21 lost his life.
ABC News explained that the rights to the video were given to other networks, which is how the video spread so fast. CBS also showed the video with the "CBS Evening News" transmitting it three times during their Friday broadcast, with the last time shown in slow motion. NBC muffled the video when they showed it, but other news outlets allowed the video to play with the audio, which meant that everyone who viewed the video heard the sickening clank of Kumaritashvili hitting the steel beam. NBC, who hosts the Olympic Games, also decided to broadcast the footage during the opening ceremony, which is a terribly depressing way to kick things off.
NBC also showed the fatal crash on "NBC Nightly News." Granted, they did run a disclaimer that said the video was "graphic in nature." This video of this man dying was available for viewing in slow motion and full speed. While the video may not have been gruesome, it does not change the fact that it was in fact a recording of a fatal crash. Imagine how Kumaritashvili's family must have felt, most notably his father, who is a former Olympian. To have such a tragic and horrific thing broadcasted on the Internet for the whole world to gossip about and share must have been awful.
NBC decided to remove the video from their online network websites, and I must applaud them for that. I hate to say it but to have such a hot ticket video like that is sure to generate viewership. And we all know viewership equals revenue. Although I would have liked to see the video taken down much earlier, I have to give the network props for steeping up and doing what I think is the ethically right thing to do.
I found a quote from an NBC representative on the huffingtonpost.com. The article said that an NBC News spokesperson told TVNewser, "NBC News handled the video of the luge accident with the utmost sensitivity. As we have done in the past, we felt the story had reached a point where it was no longer necessary to show the video when reporting on this tragic story."
The Los Angeles Times published a poll to gauge what viewers felt was the right thing to do, and those who participated were evenly split on the issue. A total of 48 percent said it was inappropriate to televise the footage out of the respect for the family of the deceased. An equal percentage of people said it was a news event regarding the Olympic broadcasts and it had its place in context. The other two percent did not have an opinion one way or another.
I am interested to see what all of you think, and I encourage anyone that has an opinion on the matter to share it. Go to therotundaonline.com and post a comment under my column sharing what you think in regard to this incident.
