Is 24 hrs news coverage becoming too voyeuristic?

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   Precious Williamsposted 13 years ago

   I ask the question because in the UK there has been an ongoing story of a man called Raoul Moat, who after being let out of prison, shot dead his ex girlfriends new partner, shot his ex girlfriend who is seriously ill and a police officer who may have lost his sight. 
   
   After nearly a week the gunman was found and armed police surrounded him and after six hours of negotiations he shot himself.  The media were there all the time, and are still releasing pictures of the scene shortly before he died.  Is that really necessary? His brother has complained that it was as if he had watched his brothers execution on television.
   
   We get news much more quickly now - but I am often uncomfortable about being given every little detail, over and over again. I am not condoning the terrible things he did - but I don't think it adds to the public interest seeing that much. What do you think?

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   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   It is the fear agenda perpetuated by media for as to the reason for the full coverage. The magnitude can be increased by continuing coverage or making a big deal out of the odd or unusual. Anything to get ratings.

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   ryankettposted 13 years ago

   Do you know how much of the Raoul Moat coverage I watched on television? Or read on the internet? Or in the papers?
   
   I read one article about Gazza and watched 3 minutes of news coverage telling me that he had been found. There is always the option to change the channel or flick a page. The only 'voyeuers' are those who choose to watch it. Where there is a demand there is a supply.
   
   The question should be "Is society becoming too voyeuristic?", to which my answer would be yes.

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      Precious Williamsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think that the media sometimes drives the demand as well as supplying it.  I just seen a news report about Haiti where a man who is helping the Haitians to export some of their art - said that he is working to drive the demand.  That is the basis of good marketing and I don't think the media behave any differently.

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   mega1posted 13 years ago

   **sound of bells going off**
   
   "It is the fear agenda perpetuated by media for as to the reason for the full coverage."  -Cagsil
   
   he wins best sentence of month club prize!

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   MikeNVposted 13 years ago

   I remember back in 91 when The War Coverage started in... people wanted more and more.  They wanted to know what was going on right now and they wanted to see it on the TV.
   
   It's just human nature to want an immediate response to any story that peaks ones interest.
   
   News Stations must sell ads so it's a competitive play on our desire to see what is happening right now.

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   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   I think it has made people crazy and mean spirited. some people keep it on all day so they don't miss anything.. maybe just missing life?

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      True.

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   Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

   Absolutely.
   It's becoming harder and harder to tell the difference between the reality shows (which I do NOT watch, btw) and news coverage.
   Like a dog with a bone -- they get hold of a sensational story and milk it and milk it and milk it till there's no possible angle left (sorry for the mixed metaphors there!).

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   Rafiniposted 13 years ago

   What I get sick to death of is watching the news in the morning and every 30-60 minutes a new fact is added with the promise of more coming up next or within the next 30-60 minutes but by the time the day is through only 1 or 2 new facts have been added so that on tomorrow mornings news the whole thing starts all over again.  It takes an entire week (sometimes more) just to get an entire news story.  What's the point in dragging it out??  Give it to me all at once and let me digest the information!  Then, tomorrow, give me something new rather than more of the same.

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      Precious Williamsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you.  I think that it is a ploy to keep us watching (which I don't) but it also seems that they think we are unable to process too much information at once.

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