ABC-7 Listens: Why graphic videos are shown in newscasts

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- As a news organization, it's our duty to report what happens in our community. Oftentimes, what's happening is not all good.

Just last week alone, ABC-7 reported two stories that had video that was violent or disturbing in nature.

One involved a domestic violence incident that was caught on a doorbell camera. The man in the video was arrested.

And the other was a dog-on-dog attack in Fabens, in which the dog survived but will soon be in need of a new home.

Both times ABC-7 showed the video, with a warning beforehand.

Annette emailed the newsroom afterwards, saying, "I know you are the news and have to report what is happening, but it really is not necessary to show the golden retriever getting attacked by 2 other dogs. Anytime you say the following is graphic, why show it then? You can be more effective with just the story."

ABC-7 newsroom management gave a glimpse at the thought process that goes into these decisions.

"We always have discussions about videos that may be hard to watch. We can assure our viewers that we take into consideration the news value of showing something that's graphic. Choosing to not show a video can lessen the impact of a story. Imagine if news outlets never showed the George Floyd video.

"Choosing to show a video can be about transparency, how serious a problem is or making sure viewers understand the story. Every situation is different, but we always carefully think about what's better going to inform our viewers."

Hopefully this gives everyone insight into why videos that some of you may find hard to watch.