People who give interviews after tragedy

[CowboyWay]

I don't get it.

I'm watching Larry King tonight and they have family or friends from the flight that crashed near Buffalo today. He's got a cousin and nephew of one of the pilots on there, and they said they haven't seen him since last summer, yet they feel compelled to give an interview on Larry King?

And the questions he was asking, OMG, the questions....

Where you close?

When was the last time you talked to him?

Did he enjoy being a pilot?

How is the family coping?

If someone died in my family in a horrific manner and a newsperson came up to me and wanted me to give an interview about it, I have no doubt I would punch them in the face. I couldn't even watch the thing, I had to turn it off after just a minute or two.

[Jon88]

They probably get paid for it.

[tyke1doe]

I don't get it.

I'm watching Larry King tonight and they have family or friends from the flight that crashed near Buffalo today. He's got a cousin and nephew of one of the pilots on there, and they said they haven't seen him since last summer, yet they feel compelled to give an interview on Larry King?

And the questions he was asking, OMG, the questions....

Where you close?

When was the last time you talked to him?

Did he enjoy being a pilot?

How is the family coping?

If someone died in my family in a horrific manner and a newsperson came up to me and wanted me to give an interview about it, I have no doubt I would punch them in the face. I couldn't even watch the thing, I had to turn it off after just a minute or two.

Few reporters enjoy interviewing family members who've lost loved ones.

But it has to be done. And it can be done very sensitively. I suspect before you see the actual interview, the reporter has probably spoken with the family member and said something like, "I must ask you what may appear to be a dumb question, but I want you to give people a picture of what your loved one meant to you and everyone who came in contact with him/her."

Second, you must be careful not to project your feeling on others. Many people want to talk about what has happened. It's a part of the coping method.