Should ESPN have waited to report Corey Lidle's identity UNTIL AFTER his family was notified?

Question

His father found out by WATCHING ESPN... his wife was flying cross country, and found out after MOST of us.

Should a news agency think more about the public it serves or the individuals involved?

Personally, I think ALL the news agaencies owed the people of NY was to tell them as soon as possible that it was NOT a terrorist act. THAT mattered. Who the pilot was, didn't matter as much to the public as it did to his family.

Answer 1

The media should do a lot of things. Unfortunately, ever since Watergate the media has had no scruples and what used to be considered journalism is tossed aside in favor of sensationalism. There is no thought of journalism anymore - only the ratings & the scoop at all costs. The media has sold its soul to demographics instead of truth and decency.

Answer 2

Yes, they should have waited. I agree, it was imperative that the people of NY be advised it was not a terrorist attack, but just an accident. All other details should have waited until positive identifications were made, and family notified.

The media today in general seems to think nothing of the people they are covering, but rather the more sensational, the better. It is so wrong.

Aren't the individuals involved part of the public it serves? And don't they deserve just a little respect? I think the news agencies yesterday, including ESPN, blew it. They showed no compassion for the family, but rather a jump to sensationalism -- even going so far as to speculating about suicide before the family was even notified.

There is something called basic human decency, but it appears to be eroding before our eyes, on our televisions.

Answer 3

Yes, they certainly should have waited, although I'm not sure that they were the only ones to report that Cory Lidle had died before the family knew. They may have used the excuse of "Well, it was originally thought that terrorists had crashed another plane into a building, we were only reporting because it was another potential national disaster". Well, even if that were true, the only information released at first was that an aircraft piloted by a private citizen had crashed. Only well after that should Lidle's death had been reported.

I was listening to Dan Patrick's show on ESPN radio, and he almost seemed proud of the fact that Lidle's father heard it on ESPN.

I think that the media, in the heat of competition from the many networks, does lose sight of the public and what is in our best interests. It was very disturbing to learn that Lidle's family learned of his death that way.

Answer 4

Yes the family is SUPPOSED to be notified first. The public isn't supposed to be notified until after the family. Some idiot at the scene told reporters about finding the wallet
For the record I blame the First Responder or whoever told the reporters. The police are supposed to inform the family THEN let the name be released to the media. I don't blame the media as it took like a half-hour or so before they seemed to be reporting who it was. There WAS time for the family to have been contacted as I remember it..

Answer 5

I agree with you. The fact of a plane crashing into a hi-rise in NY can trigger world wide effects, as was evident after 9/11. Stock markets, oil markets, and other financial markets would be severely affected if there was another terrorist attack. Once it became known that this was not a terrorist attack, it was incumbent on the media to present the story to the world to prevent the type of panic reaction that might have occurred. The longer the media waited, the more likely an adverse reaction. In this case, the right way to proceed was to allay the fears of the world, even if it meant disclosing information before family members learned of the tragedy. Now if the plane would have crashed in the East River, that would be different.

Answer 6

That is just WRONG! How horrific for his father! Just because the person who died is famous for one reason or another doesn't mean his family is any less feeling or human than some regular Joe's family. Definitely the family should have been notified first. Sometimes the media thinks the public only is interested in knowing every little detail of the famous, instead of being human and understanding that the famous have feelings too. Just because Cory signed up to "throw balls around for crowds" doesn't mean his family members should be treated badly. By saying Cory had died wasn't part of his private life because he was the one who died. It was part of his family's private life because they were the ones it would hurt the most. Why do people think that because some gets famous that every detail of their lives is open season for the press? I enjoy watching many actors on TV/Movies, but I don't expect that when I buy a ticket to one of their movies that it entitles me to be in the delivery room when their children are born or be invited to their weddings or to be part of any medical difficulties they may be having. When you buy a ticket to a movie or sporting event, all you get is admission to the movie/sporting event - not their entire lives!

Answer 7

Yes, you'd think that that would've been the respectful thing to do. The media these days are like a bunch of frenzied, hungry sharks always trying to outdo each other. It's almost gotten to the point where I don't even watch the news anymore. Shame on them!

Answer 8

Wow I didn't know that. Yeah the news reporters could be such greedy bastards its always a race to get in all the news as quickly as possible before the other news casters do. His death was very tragic, even more that his family had to find out last.

Answer 9

Yea they should have waited to confirm with his wife that it was him first...
imagine if for soom reason his instuctor and someone else had his passport and he was with her on the commercial flight....
or How bout his dad finding out @ the Golf country club tv... Thats no way to hear that kind of news...

Answer 10

ESPN wasn't the only one that did it, but morally they should not have gave his name, but no broadcasting company ever would pass up the oppurtunity to be one of the first to release that sort if info.