Raymond A. Schroth

Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was executed in June 2001. Prior to his death, McVeigh requested that his execution be televised. Although the request was denied, Attorney General John Ashcroft decided to let families of McVeigh’s victims view the proceedings on closed-circuit television. In the following viewpoint, written prior to McVeigh’s death, Raymond A. Schroth expresses his disagreement with Ashcroft’s decision and argues that executions should not be televised. He asserts that watching such a death diminishes humanity. He concludes that televised executions will seem no more real than a sitcom or any other entertainment. Schroth is the media critic for National Catholic Reporter.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Schroth’s opinion, what would happen...