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Sensational coverage distasteful
As media outlets across the globe focus their attention on the deadly earthquake
and tsunami that struck parts of Japan on Friday, the performance of some of
Taiwan¡¦s news channels has a number of viewers shaking their heads in disbelief
¡X most likely with a hint of embarrassment as well.
Without a doubt, the nation¡¦s television news stations deserve acknowledgment
for dutifully serving their audience by reporting all the latest news and
showing live images of the aftermath of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and the
resulting tsunami, but are sensational headlines really necessary?
Take a quick look at some of the television coverage, and the sensational
headlines aren¡¦t hard to miss.
In one incident, rather than simply using the word ¡§evacuate¡¨ to neutrally and
professionally describe how locals were being taken away from quake-stricken
townships, viewers were fed a headline screaming the word ¡§flee.¡¨
In another incident, the word ¡§doomsday¡¨ flashed across a sneak-preview shot to
open the top-of-the-hour news. In yet another incident, phrases such as ¡§people
fight for food in supermarkets¡¨ were used, giving the misconception that people
were looting the stores, and phrases such as ¡§just like a disaster movie taking
place in real life¡¨ and ¡§refugees swarm relief centers,¡¨ again, were filled with
unnecessary doses of sensational and gratuitous exaggeration.
There was also a news segment in which a television reporter sat on a sofa in a
quake--simulation room. Speaking in a high-pitched voice filled with fright, she
described to viewers her ¡§quake¡¨ experience.
Granted, the clip may have been produced out of a desire to inform viewers and
show them what it would feel like to experience a magnitude 7 earthquake.
However, considering that there are real people out there at this very moment
having their lives devastated by a real quake, the clip was completely
inappropriate. It came across more as a taunt and an attempt at titillation,
rather than an effort to generate viewer empathy or provide the public with
useful information.
Needless to say that the often over-the-top, fast-paced and enthralling
voice-over of television news anchors more often than not seems to agitate and
excite rather than induce calm among viewers.
Some viewers have been quick to point out how the Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK),
by comparison, has projected a much less sensational and more calm image with
its choice of language in its coverage of the disaster.
It has been a while now since Taiwan¡¦s television news stations have been
criticized for being overly sensational and described more as entertainment
channels than serious news channels.
The nation¡¦s television news channels play a vital and influential role in
keeping the public informed, and the collective hard work of all the television
news crews should not be overlooked. However, in light of what viewers have been
treated to over the past few days, our news channels surely have a thing or two
to learn from their Japanese counterparts as they strive to better serve their
audience and garner the respect that the media, the fourth estate, should
deserve.
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