The two biggest news stories of the past week have been the incredibly stupid “controversy” regarding Don Imus and the tragic school shooting at Virginia Tech. I did not intend to write about either of them, mainly because I figured I had nothing to add. The Imus thing was hyped-up, manufactured crap and the shooting was horrible. Somehow I doubted anyone needed me to tell them that so I wasn’t going to.
But listening to the news the past couple of days I realized there is another issue that is underlying both the Imus and Virginia Tech stories. Censorship. Or to be more precise, self-censorship.
In order to drag what should have been a one day story out over an entire week, news organizations were forced to bring on pundits to debate the Imus flap. The thing is the debates really had very little to do with Imus or his stupid comment. They turned into discussions over who gets to say what. One argument raised was why don’t we (meaning society I guess) hold rappers to the same standards that we hold 67 year-old shock jocks? Is it acceptable to hold different people to different standards? If so then what Imus said was not the issue, but the fact that it was Imus who said it that was the problem.
Jump ahead a week. NBC recieves a package from Cho Seung-hui, the shooter responsible for the massacre at Virginia Tech. The package contains a video, some photos and a manifesto of sorts. NBC decides to air the footage and other news outlets do the same. Should they have done so? Again the arguments. By making it public are we giving him the attention and notriety that he seeks while at the same time being insensitive to the family and friends of the victims? On the other hand, is their something to be learned from watching these videos that might help the common man to identify like-minded individuals and possibly prevent this type of event from happening again? Both are sound and reasonable arguments.
Irving Kristol, the godfather of neoconservatism, once said “If you care for the quality of life in our American democracy, then you have to be for censorship”. Kristol is, of course, wrong. With censorship you don’t get Richard Pryor or Lenny Bruce. While Don Imus is nowhere near Pryor or Bruce, there is something to be said for trying to push the limits.
I also support responsible journalism. Sensationalism and titallation get nowhere with me. Given proper context the video of Cho Seung-hui can be shown in a manner that could enlighten people as to his state of mind. If done for ratings, for “gotcha journalism” purposes then it is a disgrace. I am not an absolutist. Different situations requrie different responses. There is not one standard for all.