News chiefs defend rolling footage
Following the Manila hostage drama, the debate on how far live vision goes continues. Should viewers just change the channel?
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
Is this the final word on how far live vision should go on rolling News…?
The debate continues, following the footage of a gunman holding hostages in Manila.
The saga was one of the first big breaking stories for debut channel ABC News 24. Both ABC News and SKY News covered the unfolding drama live last week, but ABC cut away from the Manila siege when police raided the bus, while Sky continued its live coverage.
Michael Lallo in The Age asks whether the availability of footage prompted SKY News and ABC to allocate more airtime to the stand-off than they otherwise would have?
Kate Torney, the ABC’s director of news, bristles at the suggestion. “I’m surprised that’s even a question,” she says. “I stand by [our coverage] of this significant event in our region, which has a number of ramifications, not only for the economy but for the tourism industry in Manila. There are a range of issues being discussed after the event, so I have no hesitation in supporting [our coverage].”
Sky News chief Angelos Frangopoulos also defends his station’s treatment of the crisis.
“A gunman who takes over a bus of tourists and threatens to shoot them? Of course it’s a story,” he scoffs. “[But] it would be pretty hard to sit there for more than an hour talking about something you have no footage of.”
There was some consensus on the timeslot of the unfolding drama (after 9pm).
“We’re not a general entertainment channel that has news on it,” Frangopoulos says. “We’re a 24-hour news channel with a mature, adult audience. Everything we do is in that context.”
Frangopoulos says the audience decides whether they want to watch or whether they want to change the channel.
Source: The Age
7 Responses
CB news 24 seem to like rolling footage! They’ll have a political press conference and show us every bit! They don’t ‘Move Forward’ or take ‘Real Action’ to stop this! I mean snippets please! It’s better than too much news!
Don’t like it, don’t watch it.
I find 30 minutes of ACA or TT way more offensive than a gunmen holding a bus hostage.
I can’t say I seem to recall the same amount of moral outrage when the Russian Army assaulted that school in Breslan some years back – and that was carried live on the ABC (BBC feed as I recall).
Last November in the lead up to the May 2010 Philippine Elections, a family and their supporters were on their way to submit a nomination for mayoral candidacy.
A rival politician (allegedly!) detained them on the road and shot them at close range. At least 46 bodies have been recovered (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8375588.stm)
Please remind me how much airtime the ABC or SkyNews spent covering this news that is a “significant event in our region”?
I’m not arguing about the use of the footage. But the air time given to the story was totally due to the graphic footage available.
Yes, well said SMAC.
The point is not just that you can change channels if you don’t like it. There are serious questions about whether it is right to show footage of people being killed live-to-air. It robs victims of crime of their dignity and serves no journalistic purpose – viewers could be kept informed without this sort of live footage.
if you dont want to watch change the station. god it is so easy to change to something else. people want to be wrapped in cotton wool at times. the world is not always a nice place so deal with it people.