A psychologist named Peter Kinderman of Liverpool University has had a few things to say about how the media covers great human tragedies such as the crash of the Malaysian Airbus now unfolding. He says he is drawn, as millions must also be, to how the media concentrate on the grief and anxiety of relatives. He comments: “They shouldn’t use grief as spectator sport. I know it’s very attractive, but the media should leave alone those members of the public caught up in such events. Please don’t think the media can do something helpful for these people. Don’t take photos when somebody is doing something slightly unusual like rocking or praying or getting angry; that’s what people do. They’re not odd, they’re not strange and they’re not particularly interesting. Don’t judge them – leave them alone. All shades of human emotional response are normal and natural. A few months ago, several news organizations shared a paparazzo photo of a well-known celebrity caught at the precise moment he was informed of his child’s death. An obviously arresting image—a picture of raw humanity. And therefore hugely attractive for media organizations. Grief and raw emotion are obviously engaging. But… the media also have ethical standards. And I think it is important for them to accept that anxious and grieving relatives need privacy and time. Grief should not be a spectator sport.”
