Monitor queries TV news values

Press, 2 July 1979, Page 15

Monitor queries TV news values

Items depicting violence (and horror had sometimes I been shown on television (news simply because they! (happened to have been ! caught on video tape, 'according to Mr Roger Hall, (the president of Monitor, i “The whole issue of 'screening violence and hori ror on the news is a difficult and delicate one," he said in the editorial in the latest edition of the “Monitor Newsletter.” “In many instances, of course, it would be wrong not to show it. But there does seem to be a tendency to make it a highlight — notice, for example, how often it is the moments of violence that get screened again under the closing credits of the news.” Mr Hall said that on the ' 6.30 p.m. news on April 28, I TV I screened an item j showing how a man was | shot to death by police on a California highway. I “The item was introduced By Dougai Stevenson, who

: told us that American view-!' ,(ers ‘were horrified by wit-! ( ! nessing a man shot dead on ( (live television.’ ’( “But if TVI knew that i: viewers in another country ■ .(were horrified, .what. then.(l . (was the point of showing it to New Zealand viewers?” ( f said Mr Hall. ■| “If it hadn't been on tape. •' and able to be shown, the ( '(item wouldn’t have been! '(mentioned on the news at! ■Jail,” he said. “To what extent should, 1 | we be shown other people’s ( 1 1grief? Was it necessary for' 2 Margaret Thatcher to be] /|filmed as she was actually! ■ i being told the news of the i •’(death of her friend Airey I ( Neave? Does television, for II the sake of so-called news, - intrude too much?” Mr Hall said that Monitor s was concerned about this , issue, and not only on r account of children. > “Violence screened unnecj essarily on the news is unhealthy for us all,” he said. I In the same issue of the Mr D. Eckhoff,

iTVT’s news editor, said that! the American item on April! (28 was certainly only of marginal interest and he' could find no reasonable ar-: ! gument to justify its being (placed in the bulletin. I “However, having said! (that, let me confirm that my, news staff are conscious of;. : the need to treat material of the sort you mention with! , the greatest of care, espej daily where a substantial • (part of the available audi-| :ence is likely to be child-i Iren,” Mr Eckhoff said. ( “Be assured it is not the! (intention of TVI news to! (shock, disgust or offend (viewers, but simply to bring! (them the news of the day in; an honest and balanced! way,” he said. “In order to do this wei have to oppose the concept •of news which excludes items merely on the grounds of the effect which they ■ might cqnjecturally have. That is the surest way to being ignored and dis- : credited as a reliable source , of information.”