The scum of the earth

[Fragony]

I don't know if you caught anything on that planecrash, but it did. Crash. Many dead, all of them really. One survivor, a 9 year old boy from Tilburg, Holland. Quite the story here naturally. You would expect that journalists would show some restraint. But at De Telegraaf they disagree a scoop is a scoop no? So they managed they get the boy on the phone. So what do you ask? If he knows that his parents are dead of course, what else. Well he didn't but he does now. Rot in hell.

[PanzerJaeger]

Sounds awful. Don Henley said it best regarding the media...

[Husar]

Wow. That's tactless...

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Wow. That's tactless...

"Tactless?" It's tactless in the same way that the Iraq invasion was a "spot of bother." What're you doing, channelling your inner "stiff upper lip brit?"

[Scienter]

I hate reporters sometimes. This morning, I read that his aunt and uncle were visiting him in the hospital, but he had not been told that his parents and brother were dead, and that doctors were waiting until he had recovered a little more before telling him. It's horrible that they purposely traumatized a 9 year old to get a good story.

Also, whose brilliant idea was it to let him talk to a reporter on the phone?! Someone should have been watching him.

[Fragony]

My best bet would be that she pretended to be family, had she called as a reporter his aunt would have been consulted. This will have consequences rest assured.

[Kadagar_AV]

"Tactless?" It's tactless in the same way that the Iraq invasion was a "spot of bother." What're you doing, channelling your inner "stiff upper lip brit?"

Well, I would say it's [bad] and [bad] and [bad] ... Clearly not viable options. So yes, tactless, to say the least.



Journalism at this level should not be fined... Jail, most def. And a fine for the company too, of course.

[pevergreen]

Journalism at this level should not be fined... Jail, most def. And a fine for the company too, of course.

Could not agree more.

[Lemur]

What the [gah] is wrong with De Telegraaf? And what the [gah] is wrong with that reporter? What were the [gahing] smoking?

Insane, tasteless, thoughtless, cruel, pathetic, amoral ... and some other adjectives that aren't appropriate to this board.

[Scienter]

In the US, we have an tort called "intentional infliction of emotional distress." I wonder if something similar would apply, because that reporter deserves to be sued into destitution. S/he had to know that telling an injured 9 year old child that his entire family had been killed would cause serious trauma.

[Husar]

"Tactless?" It's tactless in the same way that the Iraq invasion was a "spot of bother." What're you doing, channelling your inner "stiff upper lip brit?"

Sorry, I'm an ESL person and couldn't think of a better word at the time, disgusting may be a better term.

[Centurion1]

Not even legal In the us as someone pointed out already

[Beskar]

Not even legal In the us as someone pointed out already

Amercians usually tout the First Amendment and Free Speech at this point, to fight the fascist oppression of their liberties. I am glad people here are smarter then that. (a compliment)

[KukriKhan]

ABC, PBS and CNN (I didn't check the others) are reporting that the young lad's aunt and uncle told him about his parents and brother - no word of the Telegraf. Something beginning to smell rotten here.

[Viking]

ABC, PBS and CNN (I didn't check the others) are reporting that the young lad's aunt and uncle told him about his parents and brother - no word of the Telegraf. Something beginning to smell rotten here.

I was going to say the same. Cough up the sources.

[Fragony]

Something is fishy indeed, more when I know more

[Hosakawa Tito]

ABC, PBS and CNN (I didn't check the others) are reporting that the young lad's aunt and uncle told him about his parents and brother - no word of the Telegraf. Something beginning to smell rotten here.

Since the crash, none of the stories on-line by the New York or Washington Times nor my local paper mentioned the controversy reported by Frag. If true, that would be almost as big a part of the story as the crash itself. What are your sources Frag?

[Fragony]

The tit of public moral outrage over something that probably never happened as it seems now.

[KukriKhan]

Here's some english-language sourcing for the "feelings-be-damned, go-for-the-scoop" story: http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/dis...-far-too-far-0

One daily, De Telegraaf, went further, publishing a telephone interview Ruben gave shortly after waking up from hours of surgery. The paper claims it got the boy on the phone by accident, through his surgeon. The interview reveals how the boy bursts into tears as he realises he is not talking to his family but to a journalist. It becomes clear he is not even aware the plane has crashed and his parents and brother are dead.

The interview published by De Telegraaf triggered a storm of protest. How did the daily dare to get in touch with an injured minor, who hasn’t even yet realised what he has gone through? On Twitter the paper got slammed. An initiative for a boycott took hold and hundreds of readers canceled their subscriptions.

[Fragony]

True after all. Accident my youknow she must have pretended she was family.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Thanks Kukri! Shameful conduct indeed, and there should be a civil suit for this poor lad. Boycott the paper, blackball the journalist, make them pay thousands of times what the "scoop" was worth.

[rory_20_uk]

Getting in touch with the boy via the surgeon isn't going to happen by accident. He's going to be very protected, so either deception or coercion was used to gain access. Saying "hi, I'm a journalist" will get "no comment" from any health professional - even if only as they want to be employed in the future.