Rantingprofs: Credit Where It's Due Department -- A Big One

April 21, 2005

Credit Where It's Due Department -- A Big One

All three broadcast networks have the same lead story, so I wasn't able to compare the way the three handled it. All three began with the story of a commercial helicopter being shot down, with the loss of all on board, including a number of American contractors working for Blackwater.

(By the way, I suspect, although obviously can't verify until I can get to Nexis in the morning, that the tactical implication of this being a Bulgarian crew flying a Russian helicopter isn't being fully teased out in these stories: in short, the fact that this flight could be shot down does not really speak to whether American military pilots, flying American military technology, and flying American military tactics, could be shot down. Not to be too chauvinistic, but no "increased sophistication" claims based on this tragedy, please.)

At the very start of their stories, which I did catch, all three appear to be using the same footage, but the issue I want to address here is that, as on other occasions, and mentioned by ABC (although, again, I didn't see how they handled it), once again a group releases video of what they claim to be their handiwork, and it is particularly chilling and gruesome, as one of the crew survives the original crash, is seen on the video asking for help -- so they film him asking for a hand, then film themselves killing him.

Bastards.

For once, I believe NBC handles the situation correctly.

As I've written on multiple occasions, I've had two problems with the way the networks have used these videos in the past. The first is that they sometimes simply download footage of attacks and use it as if they were getting footage from AP or Reuters, using it as additional combat footage, with no reference to the fact that they're using what is footage of attacks on Americans and allied forces, their murder and maiming, staged so that it could be filmed. This is made much worse when the footage is used without any of the accompanying soundtrack or logos that identify its source.

NBC here leaves on the terrorist's logo throughout, and while they lower the volume of the Arabic so that their reporter's voice over can be heard, it is audible enough throughout so that it is always clear that you are watching a terrorist-made propaganda video being shown on a news show, not news footage.

Second, and this is something to which there is simply no easy answer, there is the question: how much do you show? If you show too little, you gain sympathy for the victim without making clear enough that the problem is not "the situation," or "the war," but the sons of bitches who made the footage, you miss an opportunity to remind the American people -- through their own creation, their own vision of who they are -- exactly what type of enemy we are dealing with and why it is so vital we see this war through to the end. If you show too much, you, first of all traffic in obscenity. But you second of all have in fact done precisely what I complain about when their footage is used as news footage -- you provide them with a way to disseminate their message they could never achieve on their own. (Yes, there's a real tension here. I'm well aware of how fraught these positions are which is probably why there are no ironclad rules to be had, only general sensibilities that can guide case by case judgements.)

In this case NBC's reporter narrates the action, explains that the survivor is holding out his hand and saying "give me a hand," (the man's face is obscured by NBC, another good call) and the reporter says words to the effect "and then" (and at this point the image is frozen) "they shoot him," a denouemont NBC does not show.

It is utterly chilling, and, as done, completely unnecessary for us to see the way the scene ends. The frozen image of the man's hand extended towards the camera is, in this instance, more than enough to make the point.

The viewer is never left in any doubt that he or she is watching a video made by terrorists for propaganda purposes, the news value outweighs the fact that a short segment of something they wanted shown is shown, and the fact that we are once again brought face to face with who these people are -- without ever having to see anything graphic -- is more than enough justification for airing the footage.

Most definitely credit where credit is due on this one. I just wish the segment were available on the web site. Perhaps it will be later.

Posted on April 21, 2005 at 07:14 PM | Permalink

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April 21, 2005

Credit Where It's Due Department -- A Big One

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