National Radio defended its decision to air chilling...

National Radio defended its decision to air chilling recordings of condemned men being electrocuted in American execution chambers.
The Execution Tapes were made during State-sanctioned executions in Georgia between 1983 and 1998. Prison officials narrate what is occurring inside the chamber, including describing wires being attached to the prisoner's headset and leg band, and a hood being placed on his head. In one dispassionate commentary they laugh and joke after a successful execution.
Listeners will also hear parts of botched executions - in one the inmate took 13 minutes to die.The tapes have never before been broadcast outside the United States and were originally made by prison authorities as a protection against legal action.
National Radio executive programme adviser Elizabeth Alley said the programme aimed to stimulate informed debate and would not be sensationalised."We did not make the decision to air the tapes lightly. We considered all the pros and cons very carefully," she said."While we don't have capital punishment (in New Zealand) it is useful to hear the debate that surrounds an issue of as much importance as this."
There had been strong public interest in the lead-up to the broadcast, scheduled for July 1, but she hoped listeners would not tune in for ghoulish reasons. "We're not doing it for those reasons. We're doing it to stimulate debate."
A warning would let people know that the content could be disturbing.Howard League for Penal Reform secretary Kathy Dunstall said she had mixed feelings about the execution tapes being broadcast here."It's a rather macabre sort of thing to be doing. But if people are fully exposed to the reality of the death penalty it may bring home to them how barbaric it is."