Disaster Porn - What is it?
Disaster porn a new noun is defined by the Urban Dictionary as … “When the media puts horrific or tragic images on a 24 hour loop, constantly driving them into your head, and then refers to the events portrayed as an ‘unspeakable tragedy’ - despite the fact that they have four different talking heads analyzing it 24 hours a day.”
Often disaster porn is used to generate financial support. For example, it was a term associated with 9/11, where every mention of the "terrorist outrage" was followed by an infomercial for NYPD t-shirts and American flag bumper stickers (source Urban Dictionary).
Another example from 9/11 was commentator Giraldo Rivera saying:
"This is just horrible. I can't even bear to look."
This while he rewound the disaster porn tape of the World Trade Center collapsing for the many times that day. A movie with lots of destruction, explosions and disasters may also qualify as disaster porn, for example: Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, or 2012.
Do we need it?
Recently in our own country and nearby there has been a veritable festival of disaster porn emanating from the 24/7 news reporting cycle. Have we not been shocked enough at the floods in Queensland, the mining disaster in New Zealand, Cyclone Yasi again in Queensland, the Victorian flooding and now again in NZ with the earthquake in Christchurch? Do we really need the doyens of Australian media (NOT) – the ubiquitous weather presenters, the bald finance reports, the you may recall me from 10 year old sitcom presenters - turning up at the site of peoples misery and pestering them even more to actually know what is going on or is it just some peoples quest for ratings and profits that makes its so?
Here’s a letter from the Sydney Morning Herald that gets it right . . .
I am not surprised to hear the stars of Channel Nine and Channel Seven have descended on Christchurch in search of disaster porn. Grant Denyer is no longer welcome on my TV screen after I caught him during cyclone Yasi lollygagging at the wreckage of a little house, turning someone's pride and joy into a mere prop in his Festival of Me. For pity's sake, turn these oafs off. Don't watch their channels and let the advertisers decide. (Chris Stafford, Ryde)
If you have agreed with this then also read this from the blog called Thevine which ends with the following good suggestion:
One rule long-held by media producers is, “emotions stay with audiences long after facts are forgotten”. Or, “Noah is a better story than flood control”.
Forgive me for diving into the depths of cynicism but it is a rule pushed by advertisers. The moment the collective audience sees Mrs Jones breakdown on air and cry on the shoulder of a reporter who poked and prodded her sensibility is pure gold for the interests selling tissues when the scene cuts to an ad.
Ultimately though, it is audiences and readers who hold the power to stop unethical or tasteless reporting. Turn the TV or radio off, or don’t buy the paper, and see how quickly the question “why?” is asked. If it turns out that people were sick of the predictable, tasteless attempts at sincerity, then things would change.
Forgive me for diving into the depths of cynicism but it is a rule pushed by advertisers. The moment the collective audience sees Mrs Jones breakdown on air and cry on the shoulder of a reporter who poked and prodded her sensibility is pure gold for the interests selling tissues when the scene cuts to an ad.
Ultimately though, it is audiences and readers who hold the power to stop unethical or tasteless reporting. Turn the TV or radio off, or don’t buy the paper, and see how quickly the question “why?” is asked. If it turns out that people were sick of the predictable, tasteless attempts at sincerity, then things would change.
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