Should Foley video be shown?
It’s a discussion no one really wants to have, about a video no one really wants to watch.
But of course we had to talk about the graphic murder — I hesitate to dignify such barbarity with the word execution — of American journalist James Foley.
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// ]]>Maybe not the sort of thing that should populate the viewer of the YDR website, but I disagree with those who say it shouldn’t be shown in public.
Censorship only strengthens the message of those we seek to silence — implies their words and deeds have a power of which we are afraid.
That video, I believe, speaks for itself, and there’s no better way to counter such barbarity than to depict if in all its uncensored ugliness. There is no doubt watching those chilling moments who is the enemy of God and humanity.
Beyond the fate of James Foley, we journalists must always wrestle with the question of how much to show of any terrible scene, of where the line lies between truth and exploitation. So it’s good, if painful, to have these newsroom discussions.
To do so, I think, honors Foley, who dedicated his life to facing often dangerous and horrifying truths.