The Derek Chauvin trial was a powerfully visual event that stunned audiences for weeks this April. Daily courtroom video included graphic visuals of George Floyd’s murder, some of which were broadcast and some not.
Graphic material should be sensitively used, given its potential harm to audiences. So, when is it appropriate for networks to unblur such material?
CBS’ coverage was particularly cautious in blurring Floyd’s face in photos and videos throughout the trial, with only two exceptions.
After being so cautious each night, CBS’s deliberate decision to show graphic material was striking. On April 6, they showed an unblurred video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd alongside the prosecution’s argument of where Chauvin’s knee was placed.
It was necessary to clearly see Chauvin’s knee directly on Floyd’s neck instead of his back. While still difficult viewing, it allowed viewers to understand crucial evidence.
Later in the segment when using the photo again, Floyd was blurred. Here, CBS showed it only when necessary for context, and in a limited manner.
In contrast, ABC’s coverage was less sensitive — regularly showing Chauvin’s knee pressing on Floyd’s neck.
When CBS on limited moments showed disturbing images, it was often without an advance warning to viewers. The network ignored a crucial step when using sensitive content.
On April 8, CBS did include a content warning before showing the testimony of a medical expert, Dr. Martin Tobin. Alongside a slow-motion video depicting the exact moment Floyd died, Tobin described Floyd’s last seconds. It was one of the most powerful moments in his testimony.
The video is graphic and is potentially traumatizing to viewers. Death, in any context, is difficult to view, but watching the very second a person dies is particularly chilling.
The other networks rightfully chose to exclude the video from Tobin’s testimony. Despite previously cautioning viewers, CBS stood alone in showing potentially traumatic material.
Brandon Mitchell, the first juror to come forward, told CBS’s Gayle King that the most stressful part of the trial was having to “come in and watch a Black man die.”
We know that such trauma doesn’t stay in the courtroom. According to a University of California, Irvine study, repeated media exposure to trauma can “fuel a cycle of distress.” Viewers tune in to be informed, but they do not need the same unfortunate and traumatic exposure as the 12 jurors.
While each nightly broadcast reaches new viewers, journalists cannot ignore returning audiences who continuously relive these scenes.
Networks must also factor in the potential trauma to their non-white viewers, including many who are seeing themselves die on screen every night. Within a year, Black audiences have had to endure coverage of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Daunte Wright, Andrew Brown, Jr., Ma’Khia Bryant and too many others.
One of the pillars of ethical journalism is minimizing harm. Journalists experience the exhaustion that comes with reporting trauma daily. They must take care to limit such trauma for their audiences.
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