Voyeuristic Television...Your Thoughts
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
October 21, 2011 6:48pm CST
There has been a lot of this "type" of programming on recently, especially on the news.
Firstly, there's a high-profile murder trial on here in the UK and news channels just HAD to show the flat of the murder victim.
Why? What purpose does it serve? For the jury, fair enough but to the general public..why does the media feel it necessary for us to see her flat? I don't get it.
Another example is, of course, the killing of Colonel Gaddafi. Now, don't get me wrong, the guy was a tyrant and probably deserved to die..BUT FILMED and then shown on news channels around the world...isn't that a bit MUCH? And now he's in some freezer for people to ogle at and take photos of as proof that he's dead! I find that a bit sick as well.
I dunno, I have to turn over whenever anything like that is shown on TV as it makes me feel uncomfortable, to be honest...and don't get me started on that poor little 2 year old girl being run over in China and no-one came to her assistance. All that's been shown on TV as well.
How do you feel about voyeuristic television..and, in some cases, the newspapers and internet too?
Another example is, of course, the killing of Colonel Gaddafi. Now, don't get me wrong, the guy was a tyrant and probably deserved to die..BUT FILMED and then shown on news channels around the world...isn't that a bit MUCH? And now he's in some freezer for people to ogle at and take photos of as proof that he's dead! I find that a bit sick as well.
I dunno, I have to turn over whenever anything like that is shown on TV as it makes me feel uncomfortable, to be honest...and don't get me started on that poor little 2 year old girl being run over in China and no-one came to her assistance. All that's been shown on TV as well.
How do you feel about voyeuristic television..and, in some cases, the newspapers and internet too?1 person likes this
9 responses
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
22 Oct 11
Hi Janey, I truly don't appreciate such kind of shows. It is far from decency. They showed the flat of victim to earn TRP (which I never knew about), same goes for other shows. I remember watching a scene on a news channel, where a victim was trapped under the debris and only his head was partially out of it. The rescue team was working hard on to get him out and the news reporter was asking the victim, "How do you feel right now, Sir?" Anyone could have told what the victim was feeling at that time. Instead of flying of the handle, the victim simply kept quiet...
So the conclusion is that that these guys are doing anything and everything to increase their TRP (again I don't know what that is!)
@marguicha (223430)
• Chile
22 Oct 11
I completly agree with you, Janey. It is a shame and it also distorts reality as it makes people gloate on gross issues. That seems like taking out the animal part we have and forgeting that we should be better than beasts.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Oct 11
It does make me wonder why on earth we accept all this as "normal" and don't even question the morality of it.
@marguicha (223430)
• Chile
23 Oct 11
We are immersed into a life that gives us so many of these things that we start to think that that´s the way it is. Violence is even in chidren´s movies, TV cannot live without an interview to someone dying . The bloodier the better. It´s disgusting, but we see it and talk about it. Maybe the way to fight it is to be silent. THey want our attention. That sells.
. Violence is even in chidren´s movies, TV cannot live without an interview to someone dying . The bloodier the better. It´s disgusting, but we see it and talk about it. Maybe the way to fight it is to be silent. THey want our attention. That sells.
@GardenGerty (160778)
• United States
22 Oct 11
I avoid watching it all. I here parts of the stories and those parts are plenty for me. I do not think people have boundaries any more.
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
22 Oct 11
I think you probably know how I feel after my tirade on the press’s salacious handling of the England Rugby team.
I just think it’s all wrong now, be it on TV or in the papers and news is no longer news, it has become gossipy and feeding the public’s need for the salacious inside info. But the thing is that the public don’t need it, we don’t need to see inside a murdered person’s flat or see footage of Gaddafi in a deep freeze, it makes the TV news no better than a gossip mag, exploiting news rather than reporting news.
It’s about time that those who have the power and the control stop this because if TV and the papers stopped being gossipy and exploitative it would result in a change in the way the public think. Whilst they continue to try and be salacious things will only continue to get worse.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
23 Oct 11
And don't get me started on the Conrad Murray trial! I mean, how incredible is that that it's even got to that stage? Over here he'd be struck off the Medical Register, and that would be that..well, I'd like to think so anyway.
I agree with everything you've said and it's getting to the stage where it's shown over and over again (a scourge of 24 hour news "reporting") so we're not even shocked by it anymore. That's the most worrying aspect I think. What does it take to shock us now? Certainly A LOT more than, say, 20 years ago.
I mean, how incredible is that that it's even got to that stage? Over here he'd be struck off the Medical Register, and that would be that..well, I'd like to think so anyway.
I agree with everything you've said and it's getting to the stage where it's shown over and over again (a scourge of 24 hour news "reporting") so we're not even shocked by it anymore. That's the most worrying aspect I think. What does it take to shock us now? Certainly A LOT more than, say, 20 years ago.
@burrito88 (2774)
• United States
22 Oct 11
There was a time when news people were more discrete. For example when Kennedy was President here it was common knowledge among insiders and the press that he was cheating on his wife with it seemed, almost any woman he came across. But, the news people never reported anything. I think things changed with the influx of paparazzi plus you started having news people who tried to make themselves the story by being the first to report a shocking news story. Don't forget the rise of tabloid newspapers. It got so bad here in the US that you almost assumed back when the first Iraq war was starting that there would be a CNN news crew on the ground to greet the troops when they invaded.
@inertia4 (27960)
• United States
26 Oct 11
I think it's ridiculous also. But I think that people have a warped curiosity about these things. There is a website called rotten.com and they show all that kind of stuff, so there must be an audience for it. But I agree, there is no need for that except that they want ratings on TV and for shock value.
@SViswan (12051)
• India
23 Oct 11
I know what you are talking about...and it's worse with the kids hanging around. My husband usually changes the news channel when this sort of 'news' comes up. But the kids would have got a glimpse. I hate the particular newspaper we get too....it's either pictures of half naked women or gory pictures on the front page and all over the newspaper :-(
That is the best selling newspaper in India and I guess many people enjoy (?) seeing this pictures! Other than going out and getting our own paper each day, we have to live with is. I put away the newspaper almost as soon as it reaches home.....I might as well stop the delivery !
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
24 Oct 11
I think it's a TV ratings game!
People are naturally curious. Like when there's an accident in the highway, and people cause more traffic when they crane their necks to see what happens. Television stations just take this to the next level as they know some people like being voyeuristic like this.
@changjiangzhibin89 (16770)
• China
23 Oct 11
I fall in with your view about those,they did go too far.I see no reason why they have to do that.Was it for producing sensational effect?If they took the negative impact on people especially young people into account?It seems that you learnt about the fact that over here 2 years old girl was run over again and again by car soon after that happened.Unfortunately,the poor little girl has passed away.I ponder deeply over the matter.Why are some people indifferent to such a point? Even though most people are kindhearted and generous in giving help,but we really cann't put up with such unethical behavior.
