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it's pretty rare for a news station to air footage they don't use in their stories. The less we air, the less a judge can demand we give him. Even if it's a story where the sources don't need to be protected, we still protect the raw so we won't set a precedent.
Plus, unless it's really important raw tape, it's usually recycled- something else will be on that tape within the week. Tape's just too damn expensive to go storing EVERYTHING.
Editors aren't just going for what "decent" people want to see. Obviously we have to comply with FCC regulations because getting tens of thousands of dollars in fines every day is a real good way to go off the air permanently. But the main reason for editing is to weave the confusing jumble of raw crap into a cohesive story that people can understand.
If you want to see why editing is so important, go watch a few home videos. They almost all suck because they don't tell a story from beginning to middle to end. You HAVE to edit in order to do that.
If I'm telling a story about you, and I have footage of you that has nothing whatsoever to do with the story, why would anyone want to see it?
As far as your example, I'm not sure why you think news should be covering Paris Hilton at all. That bimbo has no business being on anyone's newscast, and frankly it's embarrassing to those of us who take this profession seriously when stations/networks give her the attention she so richly does not deserve.
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