My beloved Washington Post, how could you be part of this? I am so angry and so sad that this morning's paper, A12-A13, includes stories of the adults and children killed in Newtown, Connecticut. I am sad for the families and angry because in at least one article, by Post reporter Annie Gowen, it is obvious that the Post contacted the family at home. The woman who answered said they were not interested in talking. "We just lost our daughter," she said.
Isn't this just what the spokesperson for the state police said to the reporters --- the families don't want to be contacted right now. He practically begged the reporters to abide by their wishes. Can't we just leave them in peace?
I've already written to the editor of the Post and will write to Ms. Gowen, too.
Becca,
ReplyDeleteYou are so very very right. It is beyond heartless to abandon all decency for the sake of gettingn a story. This has been going on for a long long time. In 1980, I was the ACS director at Landstuhl,GE when the victims of Marine Corps barracks bombing were brought in. I recall clearly seeing a reporter on TV shove a mike in the face of a mother who, at that time did not even know yet that her son was alive and with us at Landstuhl Med Center and asking her "how do you feel not knowing if your son made it out." I almost screamed when I saw that. How inhuman can we be. Is human decency lost forever to the voracious appetites of the media? So glad you are writing the Post. In this they are no better than a tabloid.