How Should Networks & the Internet Treat the Virginia Shooting Video?

Chattanooga (WDEF)  – The Virginia WBDJ shooting is raising difficult questions for society and the media.

The shooter recorded what he did, and then tweeted the video for everyone to see.

You can find it online, but won’t see all of it on the news tonight.

But how much do you want to see?

Here is how CBS plans to handle the issue tonight.

CBS Newspath packages
WDBJ’s air – we will use a brief shot of the morning live shot interview, followed by a small bit of audio from the shooting itself.
From the gunman’s social media accounts – We will show an image of what the gunman saw but WILL NOT include the gun in the frame or audio of the attack.

CBS Evening News
Our current guidance from the broadcast – subject to revision
We may use the WDBJ video of their interview – but we will turn down and lose the audio after the first couple of shots. We do not want to air the audio of the entire run of gunshots and screams.
We may let the video continue to run to the end.

On the video shot by the gunman: we may air the video leading up to the first shot. Freezing this video before the first shot, we may let the audio continue for the first couple of shots.

CBS News may use stills from the above sequences.

Finally our condolences and wishes of support to our colleagues at WDBJ.