Powerful reporting
Sir: Simon Jenkins misrepresents the argu- ments against violence in television news (Centre point, 18 November). In the debate he refers to, I made three points. Firstly, it is wrong to show graphic violence at times of day when children might be watching (so the BBC is careful about which images it uses before 9 p.m.). Secondly, repeated use of horrific images may desensitise the audi- ence. Thirdly, the most powerful TV report- ing does not rely on pictures alone: at Enniskillen, Gordon Wilson's account of his daughter's death conveyed more than any picture of blood or bodies; at Ahinici, Mar- tin Bell's script expressed what the camera couldn't show.
To suggest that British TV editors strive `to show every drop of gore, every limb, corpse and dying gasp' is plainly wrong hence the debate. I suggest he watches French, Italian or German news for com- parison.
Richard Sambrook
News Editor, BBC Newsgathering, Television Centre, London W12
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