Should NBC have shown video of Nodar Kumaritashvili's death?

If he was an American, would NBC have shown it?

Who cares if it isn't graphic, this is primetime NBC, not SpikeTV. It's completely classless to show the replay as a way to boost ratings, as opposed to just reporting it.

 

More like 88 mph...

There is no way I would think that he could make it out of that alive...going that fast and coming to an immediate stop, with no padding involved...thats staring death in the eyes.

 

NBC just stated that they were not going to show the replay of his crash again.

 

A bit late for that, isn't it. It was an act completely without class. An act of desperation by a network that's reaching for the bottom. Pretty sad that NBC, which produced so much fine television... Seinfeld, Cheers, the list is endless. Superb coverage of the NBA, and how I miss it, yet they reached for and found rock bottom. Very sad indeed.

 

Doc did say when it hit 88 we'd see some serious ****.

I'm sorry.

 

I don't see the problem with it. This person was a public athlete and the news of his death was a very public event. Whoever made the comment that if this was in any other country, it would be shown and, imo, there wouldn't be much debate over it.

Are we really that sensitive that we should censor everything so much? I hope I'm not being insensitive, but this was a headline story and I don't see a problem in portraying reality for what it is. When Dale Earnhardt died, they showed footage of that crash repeatedly.

 

I don't think that's comparable for a number of reasons:

1. Earnhardt was in a car - the crash itself was not graphic at all
2. Nascar drivers are padded up and not visible to external camera's
3. A luge guy flying into a pole is much more naked in comparison
4. The Olympics are about goodwill, sportsmanship, catering to kids with dreams and all that razz. NASCAR isn't. Most winter athletes don't make a living out of the sport they engage in either. You're comparing a 50 year old pro who we don't see dying versus a 21 year old amateur who we see getting the life sucked out of.

I don't see this as being insensitive, it's just a cheap ratings tactic which NBC desperately needs.

 

My condolences to the Olympian's family.

Personally, I don't think NBC is way out of line for showing the clip. Although their intentions (just for ratings) is kinda low...

Now am I surprised they showed the clip? very much, yes. I've gotten used to the American media censoring pretty much everything and anything that could offend any group.

 

I dont get the argument that showing the clip was to boost ratings. Its not like they advertised that they were going to show the clip the night before. It was more of a "if you happened to see it at the time" thing.

That being said, I dont see the point of showing it. If someone were hit and killed by the metrorail, I would find it in poor taste for them to be showing the actual footage on the news. If they had just shown the point were he lost control and cut off right before he hit the pole, it would have been better.

When I saw the clip online, I cringed. I havent watched it again. Wouldnt want to see it multiple times at different speeds.

 

Very dumb of NBC to show this.

And it doesnt matter if the crash didnt look as gruesome as other crashes where people walk away. You know he would die from it before you watched it. If I died while luging, Id rather a national news network not show the clip.

 

Why they showed it in slow-motion? to see how his head bounces, why you want to see that?

People will post it on the internet, so if people wants to see it, they can find it, you dont need to show it, especially in respect of his family.

You give the news, while giving the news you can show a pic of him, and/or a video of him in a previous competition, but not that video.

 

two words,

STUPID SPORT.

 

I think I really didn't think they were dipping into the 'controversial' waters until they started going all slo-mo. But even then, it was the pictures showing the bloodstained CPR attempts that really struck me as a bit over the top.

 

I decided not to watch the whole thing. I’ve seen up to the part where he goes over the side. That part is newsworthy because that’s what happened that was so strange. Those tracks are designed so that the rider and sled are never supposed to leave the track, even in the event of a crash. You obviously can’t have sleds and people flying off the track at 90 mph, so the tracks are built to contain and funnel the person and sled down the track in the event of a crash. This is the fastest track in the world, however, and he was a fairly inexperienced slider, and it appears that those two factors came together to produce a situation that the engineers didn’t account for. He should not have been able to leave the track, but he did.

 

I think NBC was right to show the crash but I think they handled it poorly. They should've given more warning and not shown it so many times along with slow mo. As the largest sporting even in the World an event like this is news and a tragic event like this is important to inform the public what is the true nature of these type of sports.

Also NBC isn't alone in showing the gruesome and deadly video. If anyone remembers how much ABC repeatedly showed the footage of Joe Theisman's leg being snapped by Lawrence Taylor on Monday night football. While Theisman didn't die I would say that was more graphic than the luge crash.

At the sametime many news outlets often show video of people dying in wars, crashes and disasters.

 

As long as they showed a warning and cleared it with the family, I say ok.

But obviously they didn't do those things, so, fail.

 

Gotta agree with this. You're negotiating that (badly designed) turn at 90mph and nothing but sheets of ice, pillars, and a bladed sled around you. Worse off you have the officials trying to shed the blame of design or safety precautions, and NBC has no choice but to support that claim that it was Kumaritashvili’s own fault.

 

Well.. ABC has it on their website.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/nodar-kumaritashvili-video-fatal-luge-crash-9823485

 

Why metal pillars? Put up pillows and foam padding on the sharp turn sides or something.

 

Because hitting a metal pole covered by a pillow at 90mph with your head is a lot safer.

What they should have done in the first place is what they ended up doing after the accident which is extend that outer wall upwards so that there's no chance of flying off the track.