Live From Death Row

A movie critique of media violence draws fire for promoting it

How misguided has the campaign against TV violence become? Imagine you are NBC, and you've mustered the gumption to do a TV movie that explores the issue of media violence. The plot concerns a pay-per-view TV network of the future that, in its desperation for viewers, decides to televise the execution of a convicted killer. The drama is a fierce indictment of TV's tabloid excesses and features as cynical a portrait of unscrupulous television executives as any movie since Network.

And here's what you get for your trouble. The movie is attacked as "snuff TV" by the national trade paper Advertising...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!