Television News Executives Weigh In on Displaying Graphic Images of Saddam Hussein's Execution
As the hours ticked away before the hanging of Saddam Hussein, television news executives were engaged in urgent consultations to determine how to handle any images of the execution that might be released. The networks expressed varying degrees of willingness to broadcast the images, with some promising to exercise taste and restraint while others hinted at a more permissive approach.
Key Takeaways:
- ABC and CBS indicated they would show some visual documentation of the execution, but only if the video becomes available, and would not broadcast graphic images or the complete hanging.
- NBC News' president, Steve Capus, stated that the network might show a wide shot of Saddam hanging, citing the importance of historic images and the potential for future accounts to benefit from them.
- Cable channels CNN and Fox News were less definitive, stating they would decide what to display after seeing what was available.
- CBS Vice President Paul Friedman emphasized that the network would not show graphic images of the actual hanging, and other networks also expressed intentions to exercise taste and propriety in their reporting.
- ABC News' Bob Murphy stressed that the network would not permit its Web site to show images more graphic than what was allowed on television, with the same restrictions also applying to the CBS and NBC News websites.
- Fox News Vice President David Rhodes noted that decisions regarding the display of images were still hypothetical and required more information.
Statistics:
- None specified
Sources:
- MSNBC (no specific publication date)
- CBS News (no specific publication date)
- ABC News (no specific publication date)
- NBC News (no specific publication date)
- Fox News Channel (no specific publication date)
- CNN (no specific publication date)
- YouTube (no specific publication date)
- Al Jazeera (no specific publication date)
- The New York Times (no specific publication date)