A recent live car chase ending in the unexpected suicide of the individual being chased has raised questions about the media’s relationship to violence.
Specifically, the fine line between acceptable levels of violence and what’s plain wrong has inevitably been placed under increased scrutiny.
The uproar lies in Fox New’s mistake in airing live footage of a suicide and failing to use its five-second delay effectively
This is a grave mistake on the part of the news station — one that they fully admitted to and apologized for.
They should’ve caught the event with the five-second delay and cut away as quickly as possible.
Part of the problem has to do with the inherent nature of a car chase being aired live on TV — it toes a fine line between news and entertainment.
Viewers watch it for the thrill and danger of it. It’s never fully predictable how the chase will end, or what sort of violence may ensue as a result. The live viewing also adds to the suspense and risk of the whole situation — one that can end poorly for all involved.
Although any violence shown without warning on TV is problematic, the type of violence that occurred on air — a horrific, personal moment — inevitably contributed to the outrage. A suicide is a private, tragic event — airing it on live TV is not only disrespectful to the individual who took their own life, but is also disrespectful to the viewer.
While a car crash, or a shoot-out might have been seen as a more classic part of the car chase — an element that viewers might suspect or even hope for as part of the thrill — a suicide can only be seen as terrible.
Ultimately, the whole scene raises questions about our media’s relationship to violence.
How much violence is acceptable? What can viewers really stomach? How much warning can a channel really give?
While our society has become desensitized to many types of violence on TV, a suicide is deeply personal and ultimately doesn’t belong on the TV screens of the entire public out of respect for the perpetrator and the viewer.
— Journal Editorial Board
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