When the media contacts the bereaved in cases of accidents or homicide, information, in some cases, criticism.
the Journalists accused of being unscrupulous vultures on the hunt for the next story – cost what it will.
There is, however, in the vast majority of cases, a quite different explanation behind it. The we return to.
the Debate was once again topical, after several media mention of a spectacular drabssag with two female victims from the Kundby and Ruds Vedby.
one of the victims was the Line Messerschmidt, the sister of the Danish people’s Party-the politician Morten Messerschmidt.
B. T. was one of the media, who described the family ties to the well-known politician, and we also tried to contact Morten Messerschmidt for a comment.
Personally, I have yet to meet the journalist, who find enjoyment in this show to make contact with surviving family members or close friends, in cases of accidents, terrorism or killing. But I have met many who still do it, because it usually is the right thing to do.
Often it turns out to relatives, in spite of the often chaotic and unfortunate circumstances, appreciate being heard and have the opportunity to have their voices heard. In addition, it provides the journalists a better opportunity to get the facts right, or even get on the trail of information that can be essential, and which can be important to get highlighted in these cases, which are often of public interest.
For the most part attempted the initial contact initiated on the messaging services, or sms, where it is easy to ignore the request or Bahsegel reply with a refusal.
On the B. T. we felt that also Morten Messerschmidt should have the opportunity to comment, if he would. As we understood, that it wished he did not, ceased, we, of course, to try to catch up with a comment.
While there is certainly not researched the phenomenon in Denmark, shows an international study from 2012, to journalistic contact for the survivors is perceived as better and more deferentially, than if you misunderstood account ignores the closest and instead, for example, searching for information in the safe distance of social media.
the Study, conducted by researchers from the universities of Liverpool and Glasgow, based in addition to extensive interviews with journalists and editors on the 24 interviews with groups of bereaved relatives.
In the study tells a mother of a murder victim, to a lack of interest from the media enhanced the feeling of grief over her loss. In other words it is wrong to assume that the survivors always any is free for inquiries from the press.
A journalist who participated in the survey, tells how he had to take a blast together, before he knocked on the door of a family where a mother of four earlier in the day had committed suicide. To his surprise, he was invited inside and was handed a written opinion, where the deceased man attacked the health service, which he felt had overlooked the danger signs of the family, who for weeks had tried to get help. A significant journalistic story.
It is not rare that the survivors have a message or a warning to others who may get in the same situation as they would of with and disseminate.
of course, It is far from always the case, and it is indisputably important to comply with the survivors ‘ wish of peace from the press, if the interest is unwelcome. But the contact must be taken, and it will also continue to be the practice at B. T.
