TO AIR OR NOT TO AIR?

December 3, 1998
		Did CBS' "60 Minutes" make the right decision to air the tape of a doctor-assisted suicide? CBS' Mike Wallace and Ned McGrath, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, answer your questions.

How do you think the airing of this segment highlights the negatives or the positives of assisted suicide? Didn't the 60 Minutes segment illuminate the public debate by providing information on what actually occurs in euthanasia? Was it really necessary to air the segment up to the point of the patient's death? Given that Dr. Kevorkian told CBS hat he wanted to get arrested to bring the issue into the open, did CBS not do his bidding? Are you doing enough to promote honest, intelligent, informed discussion of difficult issues among your viewers or members (of your Church)?     November 24, 1998: A discussion on the "60 Minutes" segment. June 26, 1997: The Supreme Court rules against doctor-assisted suicides Browse the NewsHour's coverage of the media and health issues.

With an estimated 16 million people watching, CBS' 60 Minutes broadcasted a tape of the doctor-assisted suicide of a man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a 70 year-old retired pathologist and the nation's most controversial proponent of euthanasia, provided 60 Minutes with tape. He also administered the lethal injection. It was the first time doctor-assisted suicide was shown on network television and it has raised some serious questions regarding journalistic ethics and standards. Some critics, like Marvin Kalb, a former CBS correspondent and current head of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University have criticized CBS' editorial judgment. The American Medical Association called the segment "appalling" and said it is "terribly disappointed in 60 Minutes for becoming a willing accomplice to this tragedy." Others have questioned the scheduling of such a controversial segment during the November "sweeps", a period where audience size is measured to determine advertising rates. Although CBS adamantly denies the charge, the show did garner its highest ratings of the year. In a recent statement, CBS' defended its decision to air the segment. "It is a hallmark of 60 Minutes to explore complex and often controversial issues in a fair and responsible way," CBS said in the press release. "Mike Wallace's report . . . goes to the core of an important national debate. CBS News believes this program performed a valuable public service." What do you think? Did 60 Minutes make the right decision? Was it ratings driven or was it news? Your questions are answered by Mike Wallace, senior correspondent and co-editor for "60 Minutes" and Ned McGrath, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.

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