It is evident that in the last few years death through the media is displayed like something banal and/or sensational. Some deaths are publicized banal, and some sensational. Therefore, all deaths are not the same. Media is changing practice of displaying and understanding of death.
The media have a different approach to death based usually on a value system relating to the person's life. Some individuals are considered more worthy of life than others so the portrayal of their death is liked to this. Like all other stories in the media it has to fit certain news frameworks and in a large part of the media submit to populist views.
This results in some deaths being treated with mawkish sentimentality and faux grief while other are virtually celebrated as deserved. The first variant was most obviously seen in the hideously exaggerated press coverage of the accidental death of the late Princess of Wales. The latter being the triumphalism that accompanied the death of Osama Bin Laden at the hands of US Special Forces.
In Britain we have a special category reserved for those who have died of cancer. We use military analogies and war metaphors to describe their 'brave fight' against the disease and refer to them as having 'lost their battle' against cancer.
The media have a different approach to death based usually on a value system relating to the person's life. Some individuals are considered more worthy of life than others so the portrayal of their death is liked to this. Like all other stories in the media it has to fit certain news frameworks and in a large part of the media submit to populist views.
This results in some deaths being treated with mawkish sentimentality and faux grief while other are virtually celebrated as deserved. The first variant was most obviously seen in the hideously exaggerated press coverage of the accidental death of the late Princess of Wales. The latter being the triumphalism that accompanied the death of Osama Bin Laden at the hands of US Special Forces.
In Britain we have a special category reserved for those who have died of cancer. We use military analogies and war metaphors to describe their 'brave fight' against the disease and refer to them as having 'lost their battle' against cancer.
Many thanks for answer.
But, why media does that? Why most of the deaths are presented through sensation and drama, like in the movie?
Death is something that will happen to each of us, something natural. Therefore, death in media should be presented subtle, right? So, why the media use that to exploit human suffering?
@ everybody.
Do you know "Death watch", a film by Bertrand Tavernier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Watch
There are many ways that the media may contribute to individual or widespread deaths in a given person, family, community, society, or country. Some cases may be accidental or deliberate. For example, the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, an African country was allegedly sparked off by radio broadcasting where hate speeches were also used to perpetuate the same. In Kenya, another African country, one of the radio broadcasters ( a DJ) of a local radio station is currently facing the ICC on the allegations of perpetuating post 2007 presidential elections inter-tribal conflicts which led to the death of at least 1500 people, internal displacement of hundreds of thousands of persons, and refugees who up to now are still living in Uganda as refugees. On the other hand, some deaths are caused by wrong information such adverts of wrong or dangerous products that could led to immediate or long term deaths of people. This partly explains why radio programmes are regulated or controlled and there cases where some radio stations had to be closed on the grounds of state security and peace.
Do you mean al mass media or only news media?
Since the Cold War, television has transitioned from cultural-entertainment to vain, shallow-entertainment vehicles. It's called the magazinization of TV. You may watch a repetition of formulas that work and raise ratings, but that offer little or no variety. (CSI, CSI Miami, CSI NY) (Law & Order, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Law & Order Special Victims, Law & Order LA, Law & Order UK). In these programs, death is portrayed as a means to advance a story. As a mass media society, death becomes so common that there is little difference when we watch it in a fiction piece or in the 5 o'clock news.
This magazinization proces, has also brought less analytical or in depth content to programming. We see more reality shows where characters are people with no talent but who become rich just because they appear on TV.
News media coverage on death varies from country to country. For example, Honduran media is usually sensationalist about death in its own country, but displays little about those ocurring abroad. On the other hand, US media will seldom show their own dead, but have no problem showing the dead of those that didn´t fall within their boarders.
In any case, the subject is broad and we could talk about it endlessly. (War coverage is also related to this, but is also another subject)
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