Houghton Mifflin’s Channel One News intentionally shows students executioner holding knife before beheading.
Why show any pictures of this brutal act of terrorism?
Is Houghton Mifflin CEO Linda Zecher pushing Channel One to get edgier with kids?
From Jim Metrock:
The good news is Channel One News did not use the word “beheading” in its script. More good news, they also, obviously, didn’t show the actual murder on screen. I am thankful for small favors. Channel One and their new owner Houghton Mifflin Harcourt may feel they were showing some sensitivity to their young audience. However, I can’t imagine teachers feeling too good about Houghton Mifflin and Channel One News after today.
I imagine Channel One lost a lot of schools today when this popped up on TVs and on classroom whiteboards with no advance warning to principals and teachers.
It appears that the new Houghton Mifflin version of Channel One News is going to be as reckless and irresponsible as the old Alloy Media and Marketing Channel One News, except maybe with a little more horror for kids.
Pictures are screenshots from the middle school Channel One News program.
Houghton Mifflin’s Channel One News first shows schoolchildren this terrifying picture of James Foley and his executioner. Kids were told before seeing this picture that this American was executed. So the young viewers (many forced by their school to watch Channel One News) know the story this picture is telling.
The second and thankfully last picture shows students the knife that will behead James Foley. This is brutal stuff. This is a disturbing image for adults to see.
Houghton Mifflin’s Channel One News could easily have edited this photo to remove the knife. The picture below took me two seconds to crop the knife out.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ultimately has to accept responsible for putting these ghastly images into the minds of students some as young as ten.
If they really wanted children to see this image, why not edit it like I did? Was showing the knife to sixth graders that important?
Don’t get me wrong. The old Channel One News served up its fair share of horror for students.
Blood and broken bodies in Boston.
Ten reasons to be glad you never had Channel One News.
Why show this? VIDEO: Channel One shows knife being pulled out before Nicholas Berg beheading.
