The Pentagon announced plans to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. His execution is scheduled for December 3. As of today, President Trump has not announced a final decision on the proposed broadcast.
Whatever we believe about capital punishment, this proposal raises a separate question: What happens when we invite the public to watch a human being die?
The people killed at Fort Hood, the survivors, and their families deserve sustained attention and support. Their views about the broadcast differ and deserve a respectful hearing. Honoring them also requires considering the consequences of distributing graphic footage to a broad audience, many of whom will see it inadvertently, including children.
What We Watch Can Stay With Us
Watching is a powerful experience. We wince when someone falls, tense during a frightening scene, and smile when someone smiles at us. Even through our screens, emotions are transmitted.
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt describes moral elevation: the uplifting feeling that can come from witnessing moral goodness, accompanied by a desire to act better ourselves. In experiments by Simone Schnall and colleagues, participants who watched an elevation-inducing video subsequently helped more. In one experiment, they spent approximately twice as long helping with a tedious task as participants who watched amusing or neutral material.
Witnessing cruelty or suffering can evoke a different range of responses: disgust, anger, fear, or disillusionment. There is no single, universally accepted opposite of moral elevation. Some people respond to mistreatment by helping or protesting; others withdraw and some feel outrage and maybe incited towards violence.
We cannot assume that everyone who watches an execution will be traumatized, become numb, or react in the same way. We can, however, examine what research on exposure to disturbing media tells us.
Safe at Home, Still Distressed
Our threat response prepares us to survive danger. We may notice a racing heart, tense muscles, or an urge to escape. Disturbing footage can engage stress responses even when we are physically safe.
After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, researchers surveyed 4,675 adults. Six or more hours of daily bombing-related media exposure in the following week was associated with greater acute stress than direct exposure to the bombings, even after accounting for prior mental health and several other factors.
This does not mean watching is always worse than being there, or that media exposure alone caused the distress. It shows that extensive coverage can accompany substantial suffering far beyond the scene.
Research on graphic death videos offers another reason for caution. In a national study, watching at least part of an ISIS beheading video was associated with greater distress and fear of future negative events approximately two years after the videos circulated. This was an observational study, not proof of causation. The circumstances also differ substantially from a state execution, yet it offers possible insights into the impact of viewing a violent death.
The Risk of Becoming Numb
Another concern is desensitization: a reduced emotional response to material that previously felt disturbing. In two studies published in 2009, Brad Bushman and Craig Anderson found that exposure to violent games or films was followed by slower helping responses to someone apparently in need.
Social media adds another complication. A horrifying clip may be followed immediately by a recipe or an adorable puppy. An execution broadcast could be recorded, edited, and reposted long after the original event, reaching people who never chose to watch it.
A Broadcast That Outlives the Event
Public executions were once part of American life, but the United States moved away from them generations ago. We do not know how viewing a live-streamed execution will impact the public.
Stress Essential Reads
The central psychological question is what happens when a death becomes endlessly accessible? How might repeated exposure affect viewers? How can parents prepare children who may encounter the footage unexpectedly? And how might recirculating images affect survivors and families?
Those questions deserve attention before a broadcast, because the images could remain in circulation indefinitely.
Choosing Our Attention
Should the decision be made to live stream, we can do our best to protect ourselves and our children.
Before pressing play, ask yourself: Will this help me understand something important? Can I learn it without graphic footage? Will watching lead to useful action? Or will it be traumatizing? Or difficult to unsee? Will it disrupt my peace of mind or sleep?
A few practical steps can help:
- Reduce unwanted exposure. Turn off autoplay where possible and avoid forwarding graphic clips.
- Help children prepare. Explain, in age-appropriate language, that disturbing footage may appear online. Encourage them to close it and tell a trusted adult if they encounter it.
- Stay informed deliberately. Choose accurate reporting and set limits on repeated viewing.
- Notice your response. If footage leaves you agitated, step away from the screen, reconnect with your surroundings, and talk with someone you trust.
- Translate concern into action. Support victims, volunteer, participate in civic life, or help someone nearby.
We concerned citizens we can remain informed, honor victims, and participate in public life while carefully choosing to prioritize our own mental health.