The Media And Its Social Conscience

Here's a partial copy of an editorial from today's Nation newspaper. One wonders if the editorial comments regarding the media's mishandling of news items are considered applicable by the editorial staff of this esteemed newspaper to current events in Thailand?

Before blame is cast on foreign approaches to the reporting of the news, it might be in order to clean up one's own house in terms of one-sided (I didn't say yellow... or did I?) journalism.

EDITORIAL

Media need a social conscience

Journalists walk a fine line between reporting on news items and inciting negative social trends

Journalists face the same dilemma on a daily basis - how best to deal with sensitive issues that could have far-reaching social and moral impact. The media's mishandling of news items, particularly heinous crime stories that could inspire copycats or social vices that could set a bad example for minors, could inadvertently help spread evil rather than alert concerned parties and encourage them to devise preventative measures.

A stark example of this dilemma facing the media occurred this past week when NBC received and chose to air videos made by Virginia Tech mass murderer Cho Seung-hui, in which he spelled out his hate-filled manifesto, and posed with weapons. Cho sent the videos after fatally shooting a female student and a dormitory assistant on Monday morning. After mailing the tapes to NBC, he headed to another building on the campus and killed a teacher and another 29 students, as well injuring about 30 others, with the pistols seen in the tapes before killing himself. It was the deadliest school shooting in US history and it left the world in shock.