Marketeers call it arousal. Paraphrasing McLuhan, arousal helps move merchandise. Like an addictive drug, we have been subjected to ever increasing doses of more and more graphic violence over the last few decades. One, lower the dose of news violence and, as Max Frankel suggests, explain the cruelty, don't just film it. In real life, violence has consequences.
Balanced news includes a balance of topics.
Two, educate broadcasters about their power for harm and have the industry develop ethical standards for dealing with potentially hazardous material. Three, require warning labels directly on television broadcasts in the form of prime-time public service announcements that explain and alert viewers to harmful TV effects. The cycle of exploitive violence on the news must be broken.