Two weeks after the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others, including his daughter, Gianna, the country still appears to be struggling to wrap their heads around the tragedy. It makes sense; the death of someone who lived such an impactful life and left behind such an immense legacy isn’t easily forgotten. What doesn’t make sense, however, is how the media coverage has shifted in the days following Bryant’s death to focus on the grieving process of his widow, Vanessa Bryant, which is inappropriate to exploit and should be no one’s business but her own.
After media organizations reported on the crash itself and the victims involved, headlines quickly moved to the people left behind, namely Vanessa Bryant. News organizations began reporting on her heartbreak and emotions, citing “friends” as the sources for their material. When Bryant made her first Instagram post days after the tragedy in honor of her husband and daughter, the media released breaking news-esque reports as if something truly newsworthy had happened.
A Google search of her name returns “Vanessa Bryant breaks silence on death of husband, Kobe, and daughter Gianna” from NBC News and “‘Devastated’ Vanessa Bryant working very hard ‘to pull it together for the other girls’ since tragic death of Kobe and daughter Gianna” from the New York Daily News. Reading these headlines, the only question that comes to mind is “who cares?”
While “human interest” is one of the traditional news values that makes a story newsworthy, exploiting someone’s emotions for clicks and reads is incredibly discouraging to see. No one deserves their heartbreak to be shared across social media, print and television. And ultimately, is what Vanessa Bryant doing in the wake of losing her husband and daughter really that important?
Everyone experiences grief and loss; it’s a fact of life. While Vanessa Bryant is a celebrity who experienced loss in a way most other people have not, she’s no different than ordinary people who have to say goodbye to loved ones forever. The fact that her grieving process is considered “news” paints an unflattering image of trusted news organizations.
When Vanessa Bryant decides to speak on her emotions and sit down for interviews on the topic, it should be when she’s ready. Reporters shouldn’t concentrate on tracking down her alleged “friends” and publicize her personal moments because that can only make it more difficult for Bryant to process her losses.
A mention here or there is acceptable. After all, she and Kobe Bryant were celebrities, even years after he retired from the National Basketball Association. It would be strange to completely leave her out of the conversation surrounding Kobe and Gianna’s deaths. News organizations, however, should put her personal needs of privacy and room to grieve ahead of their own selfish motives—content and readership.
Others will argue that when celebrities reach a certain level of fame, they subject themselves to constant media attention and scrutiny—especially when big things happen in their lives such as births, deaths and weddings. But for a woman who just lost her husband and daughter way too soon, media outlets need to ask themselves if it’s really worth digging into her private grief for a dramatic headline.
At the end of the day, Vanessa Bryant’s emotions and healing process are hers and hers alone and it should only be when she’s ready to share them that they see the light of day.
Julia Skeval is a communication major senior who is flexing that she got into grad school!!!