Last night (June 7, 2016) I was packing for a trip while the new NBC sitcom “Maya and Marty” was on at my house. My attention was drawn to a sketch “Kidnapping Video” that centered around a hostage being forced to make a video that would help his captors get the ransom they wanted. The “comedic” theme of the sketch was that the hostage was from the entertainment industry and was trying to help make the video as graphic and frightening as possible.
This sketch is in incredibly poor taste. It exploits the agony that hostages and their families endure for in exchange for a few quick laughs. It minimizes and trivializes not only the hostage’s experience but also that of his or her family.
I have chosen to write an open letter to Mr. Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC Entertainment and the senior executive with responsibility for the content of NBC’s programming. I did so because I believe that NBC should confront head-on its bad decision in airing this video. I further believe the entertainment industry has an obligation to offer programming that isn’t offensive or exploitive in this manner. By airing the “Kidnapping Video”, NBC failed in this calling.
Please don’t feel like you need to do or say anything. But if God leads you, you are certainly welcome to write your own letter to the editor or contact NBC or its local affiliate in your area. You are free to include my own letter if you so choose.
Thank you,
Bob Klamser
Executive Director,
Crisis Consulting International