Twitter Used to Announce Criminal Execution

[Woodsey]

"I don't want to get into the morality of execution and whatnot, but I have no problem with someone that feels like he's brought justice to the world."

A rather peculiar statement...

OT: Surely there's some kind of, yano, something against this?

Executions are barbaric enough, I'm not sure how necessary such a tweet was. I wouldn't get him to remove it, but still - it's unprofessional.

 

[Bat Vader]

In my opinion I think that it was very unprofessional to use twitter to say that he gave the go ahead to execute someone. Stuff like that should be saved for the newspapers.

 

[nick n stuff]

twitter and facebook should have spam filters. only things of real interest should be able to get through. none of this "LOL i ate a peanut and it tasted good. i'll tweet in 4 hours to tell you if it came out whole or not" crap that we are subject to

 

[Canid117]

"I believe in an informed public. As elected official I use social media to communicate directly with people"

We already know you are going to kill the guy do we really need a play by play?

 

[Terramax]

To be honest I find such a thing highly unprofessional and slightly ludicrous; he's almost treating this highly serious, and, as stated, morally grey area like a game.

So exchanging this information to news corps, magazines and newspapers for money is somehow more professional and moral? I think not.

 

[Ekonk]

Protip: Don't announce your criminal executions, someone might ruin it!

 

[Tele-screen]

Though it may seem like a gimmicky toy now, social media is just another way to convey information. I've used e-mail and telephone calls for some pretty frivolous uses (similar to tweeting one's way through a Kanye concert) but that doesn't devalue the platform as a way to inform people of something serious, like a death in the family for instance. I don't believe that we should have the death penalty in this country, but if you strip the what he did down to its bare bones, you have a public official using an efficient method to spread information to his constituents. Sounds just fine to me.

 

[Klarinette]

Ew... no class at all.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

I can't say I care for this manner. I'm not gonna say anything about the murderer or the execution itself, but you could at least show a bit of respect when you kill someone. The final sentence about "May God show him mercy" makes it sound like he's bragging.

 

[droppingpenny]

I don't think, that the one who is about to be executed cares whenever the guy twitters or not.
On the other hand, civilized countries don't have death penalty anyway.

 

[Axeli]

Eh, hard to say how you about something like that specificly when you are against death penalty as whole. I suppose the way you write is more important than where you write it... Although "Let God sort them out" attitude does rub me the wrong way.

 

[Bethamoth]

I personally don't believe in an eye for an eye, but too talk about a sensitive topic in such a boastful way seems disrespectful.

Not to mention making a joke shortly after a mans death.

 

[scotth266]

I fail to see how this being a tweet somehow makes it unprofessional.

After taking a quick look-see through his feed, it mostly consists of tweets about him doing his job. He also posted a tweet prior to this incident where he states that he uses Twitter to inform the public what he is doing as one of their elected officials. What little there is that isn't about him doing his job is tweets about election campaigns and the rare personal opinion about some incident or another.

The tweet in question was appropriately solemn. People like to be informed as to what their public officials are doing. Just because some folks use Twitter for inane reasons does not mean that Twitter, by nature, is inane.

EDIT: As far as the Twitchen joke goes, it's a natural response given the amount of vitriol being tossed in his direction. His other tweets are all very professional.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

How is this any different than if the news covered it? I don't really see what's wrong with this at all...

 

[Rarhnor]

What's next everyone tweetting their bowel movements "I had a Piss, it went well"

You'd be suprised by how many does that...

 

[Blue Musician]

Twitter Used to Announce Criminal Execution

Is it moral to be on Twitter when you're about to send a man to his death?

Many people use Twitter to tell their friends that they just ate a sandwich. Others use it for humorous discourse that usually ends up with at least one "LOL!" Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff uses Twitter to announce that a criminal is about to be executed by firing squad. LOL...?

Here's the scene, if I'm understanding things correctly. On the day of convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner's execution, Shurtleff first tweeted: "A solemn day. Barring a stay by Sup Ct, & with my final nod, Utah will use most extreme power & execute a killer. Mourn his victims. Justice."

Shortly after, he tweets: "I just gave the go ahead to Corrections Director to proceed with Gardner's execution. May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims."

I don't want to get into the morality of execution and whatnot, but I have no problem with someone that feels like he's brought justice to the world. However, it does seem a little strange to be hanging out at an execution and tweeting its progress through your Blackberry just like you would at a Kanye West concert. Gardner was sentenced for shooting and killing an attorney during an attempted courthouse escape, and also seriously wounding a bailiff. He was the first man to be executed by firing squad in Utah in the past 14 years.

After an apparent controversy over Shurtleff's use of Twitter in this manner, he tweeted: "I believe in an informed public. As elected official I use social media to communicate directly with people," and "WARNING! This page informs on real world of crime and punishment. 'If u can't stand the TWEET, get out of the TWITCHEN.'" If that second line didn't sadly make me giggle a little bit, I'm sure I'd be groaning.

While you might be proud enough to tweet that you just sent the final boss of Uncharted to his doom, Shurtleff is apparently just as happy about sending a real-life criminal to his. His actions could be somewhat morally ambiguous, but he was tweeting about his life like anyone else. He just might have seemed just a little too excited about it to be honest.

Source: CNET [http://twitter.com/MarkShurtleff]

Permalink

Not surprised. In Mexico drugdealers use Facebook, Twitter and other social sites to announce their recent killings and who are they going to kill next, and most importantly to recruit people.

 

[Skarlette]

I think there's a difference between 'disseminating information' and using a social medium in an irresponsible and disrespectful way. The position of Attorney General is one of respect and responsibility, but there's something seriously lacking in decorum when he thought it would be all right to twitter that.

No matter what the convict has done, if he was put to death then he has served his sentence and it should rest with whichever deity he believed. End of Story. But what must the convict's family (if there is) think about a message like that? Does it treat them with dignity or respect? Does it help their healing process?

I don't believe positions of authority, such as judges, the police, psychiatrists, doctor, etc., or anyone who deals with sensitive or confidential information, should use Twitter in a professional way. It's just too fine a line between what is appropriate and what isn't. I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave a doctor's appointment, check Twitter to see a message from your doctor, "My last appointment was treated for gonorrhea, I wonder how many he's shared that with."

 

[leviticusd]

Hmm, I don't have a problem with the Twitter update. I live in Utah, and it was big news here. The local stations all interrupted the shows on TV to announce that the execution had been carried out and a lot of people for and against the execution stayed up to see if that man granted a last minute stay on the execution.

Most his followers are news stations anyways. It was a tweet to let them know that their biggest news story of the day was going to happen. I don't understand why people would be upset that it is used for serious announcements just because they might use it for flippant information.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

How is this any different than if the news covered it? I don't really see what's wrong with this at all...

There is no difference at all really. Except the news is a Multi-Million entertainment machine with no morals. and he is a man who can have respect and dignity for someone about to pay the price for their crime and act not like a reserved professional. To me it's like a doctor tweeting.

Tweeting news stations could be acceptable if you were neutral about it. But I would ask why he needs to tell them.