His point was that the footage should be shown on national TV, which as far as I am aware hasn't happened yet (though it's got some people in trouble in South Africa - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3684094.stm). I don't know what happens elsewhere in the world, for example in the US.
So, should the footage be shown? Would it encourage calls to withdraw our troops and civilians? Will it be of little impact to the playstation generation who have become desensitised to violence and bloodshed?
Rather than allow for endless permutations of "After the watershed", "On satellite", "On subscription" I've kept the choice binary. Opinions appreciated.
Should the beheading of hostages in Iraq be shown on TV?