Ok, I know this is based on a gossip story from New York Daily News, but I think it presents us with an ethical case study worthy of a few words: As the 25th anniversary of John Lennon’s death nears, NBC Dateline aired a special last Friday dedicated to Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman, rather than run a segment focusing on Lennon himself (that’s not the gossip part, that is in fact fully verified, since I was in watching the show on Friday).
Enter gossip: Daily News reported today that Yoko Ono is furious with NBC for choosing to focus on the killer rather than Lennon. In a rather convincing argument, Ono’s spokesperson says, “NBC granted an assassin's wish. It sends out a message to other disturbed people that killing is a way to fame.â€
Of course, the topic of the late Beatle’s death is pretty much fair game for media outlets, and they can commemorate it any way they want. Furthermore, a fascination with the assassin's story is nothing new for the media. But their timing is at least a tad insensitive and it shows a rather cynical side to news programs when one thinks about the implications of Dateline’s choice of focus. Is it that psychoanalysis of a killer's calculated violence is more compelling (and is thought to garner higher ratings) than a look at Lennon's life and his many cultural contributions, which would perhaps have been a far more deserving subject for the show?
Ono is doing her part to remember her late husband by releasing a book about him, in which she called on his friends to write about their experiences with Lennon.
Melanie Brooks @ November 21, 2005 - 7:53pm
It's too bad that Dateline chose to focus on the killer rather than the victim - especially in this case. There is much more to John Lennon than his death. Dateline could have done a better job - and Yoko Ono has good reason to be angry.
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