A dreadfully grim piece of news footage

[Easy 10]

Flicked over to Sky News this afty to see the latest on the tsunami disaster. They were rolling some new footage which, the presenters were saying, was "just in, and has not yet been seen by any of us".

There was a fella laying on an overturned car that was half submerged in water. A crowd of people were around him. He was reaching into the murky water, I thought, to try to get the door of the car open. After a minute or so of groping around, he suddenly jerked his hand out of the water, looked around and said something, then cautiously reached back in. He slowly pulled his arm up, with his hand gripped around the bare ankle of a corpse. At this point, Sky immediately cut the new footage and went back to the repeated scenes of the waves breaking over that hotel pool.

Absolutely awful - and an indication (as if we didn't already know) of how "sanitised" most news reports are. I wouldn't think that footage will be used again in any of the mainstream news programmes. An awful, horrible image that will stay with me a long time. My heart goes out to them.

 

[Bobby's Gull]

Jesus. That's grim.

Can't imagine what everyone out there is going through.

 

[Brightonfan1983]

I am getting cheesed off with ITV trying to get us to turn to ITV2 for 'footage as it happens' - should they really be using carnage to get us to boost their ratings?

Easy10's example is not something I want to see unedited, thank you.

 

[Strike]

Sick I hope that never gets shown again. Very sad whats going on.

 

[Wardy]

Just been looking at Sky news and they are running messages along the bottom of the screen from friends and relatives. It is one of those situations where human nature makes you watch. I recall 9/11 I just sat dumbstruck in front of the TV. I would not want to watch the covearage again, but at the time I found that I could not turn the TV off.

 

[C1 BHA]

Just been looking at Sky news and they are running messages along the bottom of the screen from friends and relatives.

Why are they doing that? and far more importantly, why do they show unedited footage before it's been checked.......it beggars belief. Sky is trying to turn us into Americans, I'm sure of it

 

[Everest]

Just been looking at Sky news and they are running messages along the bottom of the screen from friends and relatives.

Why are they doing that?

If you knew somebody that was there, would you want to know if they were OK?

 

[Wardy]

Why are they doing that? and far more importantly, why do they show unedited footage before it's been checked.......it beggars belief. Sky is trying to turn us into Americans, I'm sure of it

Because due to the phone lines and other basic communications being down it is hard for people to get in touch with friends and family out there to make sure they are okay. Likewise it is hard for people out there to make contact back this way. Sky are using the their reports to gather messages and then relaying them back.

 

[C1 BHA]

Because due to the phone lines and other basic communications being down it is hard for people to get in touch with friends and family out there to make sure they are okay. Likewise it is hard for people out there to make contact back this way. Sky are using the their reports to gather messages and then relaying them back.

Eh!? Surely if you can get a text or email to Sky TV, you can get one to some sensible loved one who can spread the word that you're ok??

 

[kevinsmith]

Death toll now up to 50,000:

 

[DJ Leon]

Sick I hope that never gets shown again. Very sad whats going on.

After 9pm, I think they should show this kind of stuff unedited. Let's make sure people really know what is going on ou there.

 

[Everest]

Sky are using their reports to gather messages and then relaying them back.

Eh!? Surely if you can get a text or email to Sky TV, you can get one to some sensible loved one who can spread the word that you're ok??

Didn't quite read the post by Wardy very well did you? Where did he say they were texting or emailing?
As for the Maldives, you can't send texts back from there even if the communications systems were working properly, which they probably aren't. And the generators would probably be flooded meaning no power.

 

[Exmouth Seagull]

I was watching at that moment too. Initially I thought the guy was pulling out a prosthetic leg - but you could tell by his reaction that it was a body, you only saw the foot and ankle, the rest of the body was hidden by muddy water.

Two of my six daughters were in the room, Megan 3 and Caitlin 11mo. I was glad they were paying attention to their Christmas presents and not the TV.

However I think this more shocking type of footage should probobly be shown after the watershed. Perhaps not the most disgusting stuff, mutilated bodies, murders, etc. but things which will give everybody a better idea of what it is like to be there.

p.s. why on earth was my `Challenge Lawro` tread deleted?

 

[Brightonfan1983]

After 9pm, I think they should show this kind of stuff unedited. Let's make sure people really know what is going on ou there.

Use your imagination.

After the Gulf War just gone, Ch4 put together a programme late night looking at the destruction wrought upon the civilians, and showed raw footage. It was billed as such and if you chose to watch it, saw some horrendous images.

That's the way to do it, not shove it in breaking news segments to get ratings, which is why they do it.

 

[DJ Leon]

Use your imagination.

After the Gulf War just gone, Ch4 put together a programme late night looking at the destruction wrought upon the civilians, and showed raw footage. It was billed as such and if you chose to watch it, saw some horrendous images.

That's the way to do it, not shove it in breaking news segments to get ratings, which is why they do it.

I can use my imagination, but I am not sure most people can. I saw the programme about the war, it was a great eye opener and yes, I think they should show that stuff on the news.

Are you really saying that such images and scenes are put in the news for ratings only? Do you think they put in scenes of the starving in Sudan becasue more people will watch it? I don't think so.

I say show it. Pipe into people's homes. This is the world we live in and you should be taking an interest. You should care about what is happening and you should want to do something about it. Otherwise all we will get is apathy and ignorance.

 

[Easy 10]

p.s. why on earth was my `Challenge Lawro` tread deleted?

It wasn't.

It's currently propping up Page 1, about to be relegated !!