Broadcast of execution causes
controversy
Public holds mixed opinions
concerning McVeigh’s
request
By Heather Mangold
City
Editor
Timothy McVeigh, who is sentenced to die by lethal
injection on May 16, has caused national controversy with his request
that his execution be publicly broadcast.
In the past, executions have not been publicly
broadcast via the media.
Glenn Sparks, a professor of communication, said
that he is not surprised that this request has sparked national interest.
"I think it was inevitable that it was going to
come about at some point," he said. "This was such a public act —
it was an attack on a public building and there were lots of people
killed and hurt."
Sparks attributes the nation's interest in witnessing
the execution to catharsis. Catharsis follows the idea that if someone
feels violated by someone else's actions, witnessing the punishment
of that person allows victims to purge their feelings of frustration
so that they can experience relief.
Sparks said that while victims may experience a
sense of relief from witnessing the execution of a criminal, he is not
entirely sure that McVeigh's execution should be broadcast to the public.
"There's a matter of public policy here," said
Sparks. "And in addition to public policy, the question is, should it
be broadcast in a kind of general ethical sense?"
Sparks said that he has deep reservations about
the public utility for the public broadcast of an execution, in terms
of whether or not it is good for society.
"It's a question of ethics and morality," he said.
Sparks is not alone in his reservations.
Eric Murbach, a member of College Democrats at
Purdue, said he is not completely sure if the execution should be broadcast.
"I see the purpose of the freedom of the press
and the public's right to see what's going on inside the chamber," said
Murbach. "But I also see the other side, that maybe broadcasting the
execution of citizens of our country is not necessarily the most humane
way to do it."
Murbach said that showing McVeigh's execution on
television would not be helpful in terms of stopping any future violence.
"I don't think it will deter people from doing
that kind of thing in the future," he said.
Liz Sickels, a member of College Republicans, disagreed.
She said that when people were publicly lynched
years ago, it acted as a deterrent for potential criminals.
"If people could see what happens when you do such
a heinous crime, they could see the serious consequences," said Sickels.
Sickels said she has no problem with the execution
of McVeigh being publicly broadcast.
"It's not worse than the violence they have on
TV and in the movies," she said.
However, Sickels said that she would not watch
the execution, even if it were made public.
Sparks said that many might believe that the execution
should be made available, but that does not mean all would watch.
"It would be a mistake to think that everyone would
want to," said Sparks. "The audience is very diverse."
Sparks said that the broadcast could have different
effects on different people.
"My guess is that for those who really want to
see this, they will report afterward that they experienced gratification
and that it made them feel better."
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