A picture is worth a thousand words, but ethics are priceless

By: Kim O'Brien

Posted: 4/26/07

They say a photo is worth a thousand words. How many sentences, then, is a video worth? Two million viewers on CNN, 1,550,000 result hits on Google, countless minutes of coverage on news broadcasting stations and a hell of a lot of controversy.

How did you first learn of the shocking news of the Virginia Tech shootings? Perhaps the news surfaced on your computer screen while surfing the web. Maybe a friend told you. You might have been in the gym and glanced at the television to see the breaking story. My first introduction to the tragedy was at the end of a class when a classmate of mine went online and found a cell phone video recorded by Virginia Tech graduate student, Jamal Albarghouti, featuring the gunshot sounds of the mass murder.

This infamous cell phone recording has made it evident that we are in the midst of a media revolution, in which video sites like YouTube.com are beginning to dominate both the entertainment and news world. A new form of reportage, often referred to as "citizen journalism," has emerged. We live in a society where image has preceded spoken and written word in our relentless search for "the facts." A picture (or in this case, a five-minute video) affirms reality. Yes, a camera can capture truth, but what happens when these images cross the boundaries of ethical journalism. What happens when it compromises the dignity of those affected by the tragedy?

I understand the potential value of Albarghouti's video in aiding authorities in their investigations. But the needless repetition and manner in which this clip has been presented crosses the line. The proof is in the numbers. CNN reported that the online video attracted more than two million views by the Tuesday morning of the event. I Google-searched the topic "V.A. Tech cell phone video" and found 1,550,000 results, many granting easy access to the film clip on websites ranging from mainstream news sites like CNN to obscure web-pages such as buzzhumor.com. The clip is often titled by boldfaced news headlines, commanding us, as viewers, to "WATCH," "SEE THE POLICE" and "HEAR THE GUNSHOTS." Like so much media coverage today, this news is presented as a show, encouraging us to give into those impulsive tendencies to click and watch. News sites twist the meanings of image captions to suit their agendas, whether it is for gun control, pointing the finger of blame and so on. To manipulate this controversial footage and propagandize it is not just disrespectful to the victims, but to those who lost someone in the tragedy.

We want news, and we want it fast, but oftentimes the demand for news begins to blur the ethical quotas of news reporting. As a student journalist, I am in no way advocating for news and media censorship. The relentless overplaying, however, of tapes and unnecessary images, such as material sent by killer Cho Seung-Hui to NBC, no longer focuses on the news, but a desensitized and almost brutish desire to view the gory details. The airing of this was senseless and disrespectful to the victims and those who knew them.

So, before you log onto the Internet and click on that infamous cell phone video clip, take a second and think. Think about the lives claimed by the shots that echoed in Albarghouti's video. Think about the chaotic array of media coverage of the events and think of those who are unable to control the mainstreaming of images and media portraying the day they lost someone close to them. Most importantly, think of the Virginia Tech campus community that must continually relive the horrors of April 16, 2007, day in and day out, through the ever-growing demand and collection of media images.