JournalismPakistan.com | Published last month | JP Staff Report
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD—The growing trend of sharing graphic and violent content on social media raises serious ethical concerns, particularly when such videos involve individuals in their final, most vulnerable moments.
Earlier this month, disturbing footage of Maj. Adnan Aslam, who bravely fought terrorists and protected a fellow soldier before embracing martyrdom, circulated online. The clips included not only combat footage but also his final moments on his deathbed—likely recorded by fellow officers. While intended to highlight his courage, such content inadvertently exposes his grieving family to repeated trauma.
This issue extends beyond borders. Oceans away in the United States, within minutes of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s horrific shooting in Utah on Wednesday, video capturing the exact moment he was struck by a bullet spread rapidly across multiple platforms. Similarly, in North Carolina, surveillance footage of Iryna Zarutska’s brutal stabbing on a train in August surfaced publicly, showing every moment of the gruesome attack.
While these clips often go viral under the guise of “informing the public,” they serve as painful reminders for the victims’ families, who must endure seeing their loved one’s suffering replayed endlessly online. Viewers, too, are forced into uncomfortable situations; many encounter these disturbing visuals without consent, leaving them distressed, shaken, and even traumatized.
Experts and human rights advocates argue that sharing graphic footage not only disrespects the dignity of the victims but also risks normalizing violence in digital spaces. Instead of honoring bravery or exposing injustice, such content often becomes voyeuristic material for clicks, likes, and views. Social media platforms have a responsibility to enforce stricter moderation policies, ensuring that sensitive footage is handled with care, context, and consent.
Ultimately, remembering and honoring heroes like Maj. Adnan Aslam should be done through respectful storytelling, tributes, and factual reporting, not through graphic videos that cause further suffering to families and audiences alike.
October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.
October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
October 30, 2025: NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.
October 28, 2025: Sindh Police arrested four suspects linked to a banned outfit in the murder of journalist Imtiaz Mir, who was shot in Karachi in September 2025.
October 26, 2025: Riffat Ara Alvi, the mother of slain Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, has died, ending her relentless fight for justice following his killing in Kenya in 2022.
October 25, 2025: Veteran journalists and rights activists urge authorities to quash the fabricated drug case against Matiullah Jan, calling it an attack on media freedom.
October 24, 2025: PTV journalist Najam Wali Khan faces social media backlash after calling late SP Adeel Akbar a coward and a fool following his alleged suicide in Islamabad.
October 31, 2025 Radio Free Asia, a US government-funded broadcaster covering tightly controlled Asian media environments, has suspended all news operations after federal funding dried up.
October 30, 2025 PSL franchise fees lag far behind IPL's USD 18.5B valuation as Pakistan Cricket Board's bureaucratic grip stifles growth. Hard numbers expose a stark reality.
October 30, 2025 India’s government has proposed strict new rules mandating the labelling of AI-generated and deepfake media to curb misinformation and ensure content authenticity on social platforms.
October 30, 2025 Vietnamese authorities seize BBC journalist’s passport amid interrogation, sparking outrage as Hanoi leader To Lam visits the UK. Rights groups urge her release.
October 30, 2025 CDEPS and CPJ condemn the arrest of 7TV’s Maimouna Ndour Faye and other journalists in a late October crackdown on Senegalese media over interviews with a wanted politician.