TMZ: the first to report

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/26/media/tmz-death-report-kobe-bryant/index.html

As many know by now but TMZ was the first media outlet to report on the death of Kobe Bryant. Although, they didn’t report any fake news, they were still way too early to report on the tragic event. Just imagine sitting at home and having the TV on or your phone open and you found out your daughter and husband just passed away in a helicopter crash. Imagine not being one of the first one’s to find out. I can’t even begin to imagine how terrible that had to feel for Vanessa Bryant, and it happened simply because news outlets can get a bonus for being the first to report. A quote from the article that I liked was, “”It would be extremely disrespectful to understand that your loved one … perished and you learn about it from TMZ,” Villanueva said. “That is just wholly inappropriate.” It was just so incredibly unprofessional but that is what TMZ is known for.

On pages 137 and 138 in the text, Media Ethics, it begins to talk about the right to privacy and in this case, Vanessa Bryant wouldn’t of been able to use this as much as a normal, non celebrity could but she defiantly deserved a little more right to privacy. The ethical conflict here is simply just TMZ being a source, dying for attention and getting it because they were so early on the news. There’s no way a wife should have to find out about a tragic event, ever again. It’s hard to find a pro from this post because it is a very negative post about TMZ and the events that followed. If I had to choose one though, I would have to say it could be used as a lesson learned. A con from this article is clear. Don’t report news before you are allowed. A solution is also just as easy. Know your place.