UK TV channel condemned for showing skydiving death/serious injury during morning show

[Newbie 0]

Read about it here:

http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1500987,00.html

I didn't see it but i'm guessing it relates to the GK Diamond track incident back in 94. The clip was actually screened on Sally Jesse Raphael, who took it from "When Good Times Go Bad" (both US shows).

I think for ANY network or channel to have used this shows complete insensitivity to not just the television watching public, but specifically those that were directly affected by the incident, and the sjydiving community as a whole.

Someone from Ofcom - the watchdog for tv broadcasts amongst other things - had the fucking nerve to state "The key issue is that the footage of the death of one of the skydivers was used in an entertainment context in this pre-watershed programme, which did not provide the 'exceptional justification' required."

Because obviously, skydivers being killed is acceptable to be used in an entertainment context, right? Fuck me.

Am i misunderstanding what was said? I'm on the verge of calling them to complain about what they seem to find permissable as entertainment value to the general public.

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[bbarnhouse 0]

Last week I had a production company from Japan that asked for the same type of footage.
I have to say I was absolutely disgusted.

[mr2mk1g 10]

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Because obviously, skydivers being killed is acceptable to be used in an entertainment context, right? Fuck me.

Um... no... I don't understand your complaint. That's what Ofcom said - that here the footage was unacceptable because it was used in an entertainment context.

[Andy9o8 2]

We all share your outrage at this tragedy being shown on TV. But after reading the Guardian article, I think Ofcom was condemning the broadcast by saying that a TV broadcaster is required to have "exceptional justification" in order to show graphic images of a person's death, and that a mere "entertainment context", as was the case here, did not qualify as an "exceptional justification".

[Newbie 0]

yeah you're right, i re-read the article once i calmed down to make sure i hadn't misunderstood, and i see they (OFCOM) are saying they (ITV) used it for entertainment value, and therefore the "exceptional circumstances" to show something of this nature, was not ever met.

I am still gobsmacked something like this would ever find it's way onto shows where it's purpose of being shown is for pure shock entertainment.

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[Newbie 0]

yeah, i misunderstood the original article while trying to read through it with a red mist forming (see my reply above).

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[mr2mk1g 10]

You do have a perfectly valid point though in the wider sense in that the footage ought not to have made it on to the SJR show... I suspect the fact that it went out over here was merely an oversight in that there probably isn't really that much vetting of the imported show before it goes no. Still no excuse though... and certainly no excuse for it being on the program in the first place.

[JohnRich 4]

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Because obviously, skydivers being killed is acceptable to be used in an entertainment context, right? Fuck me.

Um... no... That's what Ofcom said - that here the footage was unacceptable because it was used in an entertainment context.

Yes, that's the way I took it. If it was used for say, educational purposes, it "might" be acceptable. But death should never be mere entertainment.

Bring on the Christians and the lions!

[bob.dino 1]

The standards do seem to be different in the UK & US. I've seen an episode of a US Cops-style show where they showed footage of a cop being shot and killed while performing a traffic stop.

Wrt free-to-air television, the USA seems to be more worried about sex and less about violence than the UK.