Broadcasting Crime

The murder during a live televised broadcast of two American journalists, Alison Parker and Adam Ward, displays the dangerous consequences of a lethal combination of elements that, although unequal, are becoming plentiful in the U.S. and the rest of the Western world.

In the first place — and this is an American characteristic — the crime is new proof of the damage caused by the ability to freely obtain guns by [members of] society in general. People who do not belong to the armed forces or law enforcement are able to acquire guns as if they were household electronics or articles of clothing. This exponentially skyrockets the number of victims in violent incidents and citizens’ fear to die absurdly in any incident. It is a truism that cannot be overemphasized: Less people will die when there are fewer guns in the street.

Secondly, the murderer used social networks as an immense sounding board. Given that he committed suicide, one will not know if they also were a motivator. Social networks constitute a reality it is advisable never to forget: It [has a] dark side and profound damage can be channeled through it. The author of the double crime announced it with premeditation. After committing it, he uploaded it to the Internet so that it would be broadcast, as indeed it was, and knowing that the terrible images of the death of two innocents would arrive in a matter of minutes to everybody. Immediate connectivity is a great advancement, but it is also, unfortunately, the dream of any megalomaniacal narcissist. His 23 pages of self-justification are simply a good example of it.

A final element to reflect upon is if constantly exhibiting homicides and cruelty to viewers ends up making them less sensitive to the seriousness of the events. The death of a human being cannot be a show.