Posted by pseudoname on April 27, 2006, at 13:12:53
[WARNING: Discusses child abuse]
Did anybody see the show?
I was going to post about this last week when I watched it. On ABC News's “Primetime” show, Diane Sawyer & company gave cameras to a family to film their normal home life. It's a family with a biological father, a step-mom, her 15-year-old step-daughter, and 3 littler kids.
The dad & step-mom were absolutely horrible to the 15-year-old. Names, belittling, threats, excluding her, etc, etc. That was bad enough.
But then during an argument, she said her father lied. He flew into a rage and, right there on camera, this 200-lb Army reservist POUNCED ON HER, and HIT HER 5 TIMES while screaming at her at the top of his lungs. Meanwhile the step-mom is egging him on, pretending to throw punches herself.
Anway, I could not understand why, with this video evidence, ABC did not turn them in for child abuse. On camera, Sawyer showed the video to three therapists, who reacted with horror and disgust. But THEY didn't turn the guy in, either. I thought they had to!
Now this from the Washington Post:
<snip>
More than 2,000 people have e-mailed Primetime about the incident. Among the horrified viewers was Derek Champagne, Franklin County district attorney, where the family lives. He said he knew nothing of the incident before it was shown on TV.Because the beating took place in December 2002, Champagne said he's prevented by the statute of limitations from prosecuting the case. ABC News gambled by not allowing professionals to assess the family's situation, he said. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/25/AR2006042501481.html)
<snip>This is what the ABC producer said: “We looked at it ourselves, and looked at the totality of the circumstances, and WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING EGREGIOUS.” Oh. My. G*d. Not egregious?!
Sawyer & everyone involved with this production are callous and shallow and behaved dispicably.
poster:pseudoname
thread:637496
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060422/msgs/637496.html