Slashdot Mirror
A Suicide Goes Viral On the Internet
Hugh Pickens writes "Will Oremus reports that Fox News showed a grisly spectacle Friday afternoon during a live car chase when the suspect got out of his car, stumbled down a hillside, pulled a gun, and shot himself in the head. As the scene unfolded, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith grew increasingly apprehensive, then yelled 'get off it, get off it!,' belatedly urging the show's producers to stop the live feed as it became obvious the man was going to do something rash. Fox News cut awkwardly to a commercial just after showing his death and after Fox aired the on-air suicide, Smith apologized to viewers, saying, 'We really messed up.' However BuzzFeed immediately posted the footage on YouTube, where it garnered more than 1,000 'likes' in under an hour, sparking immediate blowback. 'Who's worse? @FoxNews for airing the suicide, or @BuzzFeed for re-posting the video just in case you missed it the first time?' posted the Columbia Journalism Review. Gawker's Hamilton Nolan called his site's decision to post the video 'ethical,' because 'it is news' but research suggests that graphic depictions of suicide in the media can spur copycat suicides, especially among young people, and the World Health Organization's guidelines warn against sensationalizing it. Virtually everyone who has studied it agrees that, at a minimum, suicides should be covered with a modicum of sensitivity and context (PDF). 'Of course it's news that Fox News accidentally aired the video. And you can make a good case that Fox was inviting this type of debacle with its habit of airing live car-chase feeds. But Fox couldn't have known that it was about to air a suicide. BuzzFeed, by contrast, knew exactly what it was doing,' writes Oremus. 'That might be good business for BuzzFeed, but it's hard to see the benefit for anyone else.'"
That's because just about everyone thinks suicide is evil, selfish, wrong, etc. Unless you're a pedophile, then do everyone a favor and go shoot yourself.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
Ironic, isn't it?
I wish they would stop showing gruesome murder victims too. Especially that old one of that guy nailed to a piece of wood. Yuck.
I agree with your girlfriend and would like to subscribe to her newsletter.
Before anyone starts jumping on Fox News for whatever axe they have to grind with them, please substitute Fox News with "CNN" or "MSNBC" and ask yourself if your vitriol would be just the same.
On the other hand, the guy could have killed himself because he realized he was on Fox News. I know I would. ...
Just saying'
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Unless the viewer is a psychopath (in the clinical sense) that is never how it works.
Oh look, another person on the Internet pretending to be a psychologist, and he's calling people who aren't as offended about something as him psychopaths! What a shock...
Grow up.
It looks like you disagree with me; therefore, you should grow up!
The bad news is that proving your stupidity by invoking brainless memes doesn't cause immediate death,
I got a flamebait and a troll, but they were still overwealmed by insightfuls. Maybe Slashdot is finally growing up.