May 8, 2001

9:21 AM

Katie Couric: Your Execution Morning FriendOh, nothing against Katie. Just seems a smidgen ridiculous to have TV morning shows with live-from-elsewhere coverage centered around the execution of McVeigh. Also, 1600 journalists will be around. I know this is typical media overkill for our times, but is it making a martyr out of the guy? Greta from CNN thinks lethal injection executions are snoozers anyway.(Registration required).
posted by raysmj (8 comments total)

I do wonder what all those media folk are getting by being on the site instead of back in their studios. Will they know nanoseconds earlier that he's dead?

How many MFers are planning to watch the coverage? I'm sure I won't. I already know what's going to happen, and I don't understand the morbid fascination. Of course, back ten or fifteen years ago, I got upset when the coverage of that little girl trapped down a well preempted Star Trek TNG. I remember waiting to be returned to my regularly scheduled programming, having to listen to Ted Koppel say things like "We're with you, Jessie." Sheesh.
posted by anapestic at 9:34 AM on May 8, 2001

Here you go, for non subscribers.
posted by Cavatica at 10:30 AM on May 8, 2001

Maybe they could do a spilt screen of Katie's colon to keep things interesting for the short attention span set.
posted by machaus at 10:30 AM on May 8, 2001

Liked the above idea, machaus. But they're acknowledging that this is a traaaagedy. It's a tragedy, damn it, (even if, not a tragedy according to the primary definition) and we're really serious about it. God forbid it should look like we're, oh, trying a little too hard to make a buck.

Former NY Times Columnist Russell Baker used to write about the difference between being serious and solemn. The quote below is decidedly solemn. Where's Comedy Central, already?

"It's not a time for making light," said Erik Sorenson, MSNBC's vice president and general manager, "and if anybody got out of line, we'd kick them off the air. I think you'll see nothing other than the universal human emotion that this whole thing is a hideous tragedy."
posted by raysmj at 10:55 AM on May 8, 2001

I can't believe everyone is acting so spooky about this guy. By making such a production out of him, they only validate his martyr fantasy. McVeigh is just a murderer; why give him anything other than what he deserves, which is a bit of scorn and a quick trip to the hereafter...?

It probably doesn't help that (a) it's frigging sweeps [gawd...], and (b) oldtyme media is busily trying to mend its credibility, which is busily swirling around the bowl as we speak.
posted by UncleFes at 11:24 AM on May 8, 2001

It probably doesn't help that (a) it's frigging sweeps [gawd...], and (b) oldtyme media is busily trying to mend its credibility

Interesting connection . . . Do I smell a conspiracy? Maybe we can put together a war for the next round of . . . oh nevermind, that's already been done to death.
posted by BoyWithFez at 11:37 AM on May 8, 2001

It's all about the Media Event (boom, crash). If it's an Event (boom, crash) then "the people" think it must be important. I think most people aren't really dwelling too much on this but it's hard not to be constantly reminded of it when the Media is hellbent on making an Event (boom, crash) out of it.

I just keep wondering how the people who lost people are doing right now. It can't be easy to get through this Event (boom, crash) with all the Media around and with the constant criticism levelled at them over the execution. I can't even imagine.
posted by amanda at 11:42 AM on May 8, 2001

I'm just wondering who they're going to kill for the sequel if the ratings go through the roof.
posted by frenetic at 12:49 PM on May 8, 2001