The reason ITV described Black Country derby violence, rather than showing it
When broadcasters choose not to show violence during live events such as football matches, there's usually a very good reason.
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Fan criticism of ITV's coverage as trouble flared during Sunday's Black Country derby between Wolves and Albion was rife online, with many saying it's up to viewers if they want to watch the violence or not.
Many people on X (formerly Twitter) were critical of the decision, with user saying: "What do commentators gain from giving the whole 'these are ugly scenes that nobody wants to see' when in fact, everyone wanted to see such idiocy".
Another X user said "Dear ITVSport, "nobody wants to see these scenes' Yes we do – if it happens we want to see it".
There were plenty of other comments on the coverage too.
The Express & Star has spoken to ITV about the incident and their coverage of it and while we're not able to quote them directly, we are able to provide some context to the decision making process when it comes to broadcasters covering things like this.
ITV's aim would've been to report on developments in a way that informed viewers of what was happening while balancing it with the need to be responsible. A lot of children watch football, after all.
It would've no doubt been a mindful decision to use wide shots and not show the trouble, as it's considered a fair assessment that then scenes might have been disturbing to some viewers.
Ultimately, broadcasters are subject to quite stringent rules, and it's fair to say that they were a little bit damned if they did, damned if they didn't.
