Warning over high use of terror images

By ANGELA GREGORY

As New Zealanders tune in to gripping television coverage of the New York terrorist attack, a media expert is warning against overuse of footage showing the hijacked planes crashing into the World Trade Center.

Auckland University media studies lecturer Dr Nabeel Zuberi said he was concerned at voyeuristic elements of the footage, which he believed in part played into the hands of the terrorists.

Dr Zuberi, who specialises in television and national identities, said many academics and media scholars had written about terrorism being the guerrilla warfare of the media age.

In this case, it was clear the timing of the plane crashes was designed for maximum publicity.

"It was done deliberately to create a media spectacle that would go around the world, and maximum propaganda for the people perpetuating the violence.

"It's the politics of desperation ... the politics of war. They get what they've done in front of everybody."

Dr Zuberi said it was predictable that overseas and local networks would take every chance to play the plane crash pictures to sate people's incredible desire for it.

"It worries me that while people are appalled by the act they relish seeing these graphic images ... I have heard someone has even put it on their screen saver."

The images told people that relatively powerless and invisible groups could strike at the heart of the most powerful nation.

Pakistan-born and British-raised, Dr Zuberi was also bothered about the risks of racial stereotyping in repeating what he called dangerous images of Palestinians cheering.

However, Television New Zealand general manager public affairs Glen Sowry said the plane crash footage was not being used gratuitously.

"It needs to be used in context ... [like] if and when the story develops and for example the Americans retaliate."

Mr Sowry said the percentage of New Zealanders watching the 6 pm news slot last Wednesday had peaked at 27 per cent, compared with normal viewing levels for that time of around 21 per cent.

TV One had maintained uninterrupted coverage for 30 hours, justified by extraordinary viewer interest and the fast-developing stories on a number of fronts.

Though normal programming had resumed, Mr Sowry expected coverage would again increase as the situation developed.

TV3's news and current affairs director, Mark Jennings, said the channel was aware that overusing the twin tower aerial attacks was inappropriate.

"It could be seen as voyeuristic and insensitive to keep playing it."

Mr Jennings said the channel had received a lot of positive feedback about sticking to the main story in its use of the ABC network, instead of chasing New Zealand angles.

TV3's 9 per cent rating for the 6 pm news on Wednesday of viewers aged over five years was up from 6 per cent the previous Wednesday.

The head of the New Zealand Broadcasting School, Paul Norris, said the use of long-running overseas links was successful.

Mr Norris said it would have been wholly inappropriate for either channel to break their coverage with advertisements at the height of the breaking story.

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