On Sunday Jan. 26 a fatal helicopter crash resulted in the death of nine people, including retired NBA player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. Online tabloid TMZ leaked the news only an hour after police received reports of the crash. TMZ failed to give police enough time to properly identify the deceased and notify their families, thus risking the possibility of their families hearing the tragic news through social media or news reports.
Although TMZ’s intentions were to inform the public in a timely manner, they should have respected those directly affected by the event and granted them some time and space to take in the news. Instead, the news report created a buzz that traveled far and fast, inevitably spreading some false information before the story was adequately evaluated. Due to reporters’ eagerness to relay the news to the public, certain news outlets falsely reported that victims included Lebron James as well as Bryant’s three other daughters. This kind of irresponsible reporting played with the emotions of the public.
With today’s technology, news spreads exceptionally fast and is easily accessible to a wider audience than ever before. While it is a reporter’s duty to keep the public informed, they must approach sensitive subject matter with respect.