Imagine a TV network sitting in a playground, minding its own business, reading a book. Let’s call it…CBC. After a few moments, it looks up to see that several other TV networks and a few newspapers have formed a crude semi-circle around it. They seem to be jostling each other, trying to get menacingly close.
This is known in journalism as “swarming.”
After a few seconds, a big, bulky TV network separates from the pack and leans in close to the CBC. This is the ringleader, the “bully,” the network the other networks will take their cues from (and who, out of fear or envy, they will try to ingratiate themselves with). Let’s refer to it as…CTV.
“Whatcha reading?” CTV contemptuously asks.
“Nothing,” CBC, keeping its head down, sullenly responds.
“Lemme see.” CTV tries to grab the book out of CBC’s hand, but it pulls the book out of the network’s reach. This is but a momentary victory, however, as, on the second try, CTV grabs the book with both hands and pries it out of the clinging grasp of CBC. The networks and newspapers standing around the pair cheer as CTV looks at the cover of the book.
“Journalistic Ethics for Beginners?” CTV sneers. “Pretty serious book for such a dorky network.”
“Leave me alone!” CBC shouts, grabbing the book back from CTV. “I didn’t do nothing!”
“That’s just the problem,” CTV, with an air of feigned gravitas, states. “You didn’t do what you should have.”
CBC is a little confused, not to mention scared, by this, but boldly asks, “What? What should I have done?”
“What should he have done? What should he have done?” CTV, throwing out its arms to the crowd, rhetorically asks. Hoots of derision and laughter greet the question. Then, turning back to CBC, CTV menacingly says: “You should have run the video of Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech killer, that’s what you should have done.”
“I didn’t wanna.”
“You chicken?”
CBC thrusts out a defiant lower lip. “I’m not chicken.”
“Chicken, chicken, chicken. Bwak bwak bwak.” The networks and newspapers taunt CBC. “Yeah, you’re such a yellow-bellied stripling of a…” one newspaper, let’s call it…Globe and Mail’s voice trails off as CTV gives it a dirty look. The taunting becomes less enthusiastic.
“I am not a chicken!” CBC shouts. CTV turns its attention back to the beleaguered network. The taunting subsides completely.
“Oh, no?”
“No!”
“So, how come you didn’t run the video? Hunh? Everybody else was running the video, or printing pictures out of it on their front pages. Why not you? Hunh? Why not?”
“Didn’t want to.” Even CBC recognizes that this is lame, so it sticks its lip out further.
“Oh, and, why didn’t you want to?”
CBC takes a deep breath. “All the experts say that what killers like Seung-Hui Cho want is…is publicity. By replaying his image over and over again, we are giving him what he wanted – rewarding him for his murderous rampage. If other deranged lunatics see this, they will be encouraged to go on their own killing sprees figuring we’ll give them the same kind of publicity. Don’t you see? We’ll be encouraging exactly the type of behaviour that we claim to find so horrible!”
The crowd is stunned. After a few seconds, CTV hesitantly says: “So…are you…are you saying that…you’re better than us?”
“No, no that’s not what I –” CBC starts to reply, but, with a wave of its hand, CTV cuts him off.
“You are. You are saying that you’re better than us.”
CBC sighs, resigned. “Yeah. Right. Whatever.”
The crowd starts chanting. At first, it’s low, difficult to make out. After a couple of seconds, it becomes clear: “Get him. Get him. Get him.” CBC puts the book aside in anticipation of what is to come. The chanting builds to a fever pitch. Just when it seems like it will become unbearable, an authority figure walks onto the playground. Let’s call it…CRTC. The chanting immediately stops.
“What’s going on, here?” CRTC asks. Everybody’s eyes focus on different points in the middle distance, except for CTV, which is glaring at CBC with deadly intent. “Don’t you television networks and newspapers have mergers to work on?” CRTC asks. Everybody except CBC scatters, CTV the last and most reluctant. “I’m disappointed in you,” CRTC tells it.
“What did I do?” CBC complains.
What, indeed?