BOB: This is On the Media, I’m Bob Garfield. This week brought another disturbing video of British ISIS hostage John Cantlie spouting ISIS propaganda in the style of a broadcast news commentary - if commentators wore orange jumpsuits.

Last week, this program aired three short excerpts from the first Cantlie tape. Another news outlet, however, did not: CNN, on the grounds of not wishing to give a propaganda platform to terrorists. To have done so, said, Tony Maddox is the Executive Vice President of CNN International, would have to have been complicit in torture.

MADDOX: The starting point with all these things is you don’t want to run them. If you think that a group such as ISIS which is a wicked organization. I normally avoid giving value judgements against different groups involved in world affairs but I'm afraid ISIS are off the clock and with the Cantlie video I just thought this man is clearly performing to save his life. It is a disgusting spectacle. He's saying nothing we haven't heard before we should certainly say that he's done it. Certainly show a still from it. But why would we then go on and actually run the video itself and show this unbelievably demeaning, humiliating footage.

BOB: I just want to be clear it's not just that you didn't want to give a platform to the terrorists it was  the particular nature of this kind of video which while not a beheading was kind of grisly in its own right.

MADDOX: I'm a great believer in we shouldn't censor and we should show the full story even if it is disturbing and even if it is ultimately in the interest of the people who did the act of badness. A good example I can think of is the story we did a lot on earlier this year with the schoolgirls who were taken from Chibok. Footage appeared of all girls lined up and the full garm and this guy ranting and raving away at the front. I thought that was an image the world had to see.

BOB: These were the Nigerian schoolchildren who were kidnapped by Boko Harem.

MADDOX: That was a story we committed to. We went to Chibok and it was important that the world saw that image as disturbing as it was. We're in CNN. We are the business of arresting and powerful images. But I'm saying we should always weigh up why are we showing this. What is the editorial purpose that is achieved in doing so. With the Cantlie video I wasn't sure what that was. We have no way of knowing if that's genuinely what he felt or if he was saying it because he's under the imminent threat of death. He's a not a well known figure. So I thought this was an occasion where we wouldn't need to show it. The next time those circumstances could be different and then we would. We have these editorial debates all the time. Actually some very powerful counter arguments were offered.

BOB: What were they?

MADDOX: The fact that they've changed their strategy now from a beheading to actually making like a news type video is in itself quite interesting. And I think that's a fair point.

BOB: I want to ask you about something you said, that its' clear that he has been coerced. To me, what's so chilling about the Cantlie videos is that it isn't clear that he has been coerced. You get the feeling that he has written this stuff. He doesn't sound like a terrorist lunatic. On the contrary he's making some fairly cogent about the West's strategy in dealing with ISIS. I wonder if you concerned that the video would actually persuade the audience that maybe it is best to leave these people alone.

MADDOX: No, I'm not convinced by that at all. There are all kinds of counter arguments US strategy and elsewhere. And we've got all kinds of people who can powerfully argue that on CNN or CNN International and NPR. And that's fine. And we absolutely should be seeking out those voices but we should be seeking out the voices of people under threat of death.

BOB: TV news and print news as well is very much in the business of feeding the public's appetite for the kinds of very disturbing images that we're discussing now and our jobs are frequently about where to draw the line. I wonder if the calculus that you applied to this decision will affect how you look at all such compelling images henceforth.

MADDOX: People shouldn't think that we did it just for this one video. I started in journalism long time ago as a senior editorial figure if you like in Northern Ireland in the mid-90s and I've been dealing with these kinds of ethical and editorial dilemmas ever since. And one thing I can tell you they don't really get that much easier. If anything they get more complicated. I'm always very uncomfortable with people who view these things win such clear black and white terms. I think a lot of people who choose to run a lot of this stuff candidly aren't even discussing it at all. It's just good footage and we're putting it up and just step back and say we'll let the audience decide. People should be afraid actively discuss these things on a case-by-case basis. I just think people just like to get too easy and say 'oh, we never do this,' or 'we always do that,' or 'we should never do this,' or ' we should always do that.' And my concern, my wider concern really is that sometimes I just don't think that debate takes place.

BOB: Tony thank you so much.

MADDOX: Oh, no problem at all.

BOB: Tony Maddox is the Exec. VP of CNN International.