There should be no place for sensational journalism. I agree with Mika Baumeister, a student at the high school in Haltern, Germany, that lost sixteen of its pupils and two teachers in the fatal Germanwings plane crash on 24 March 2015. On 30 March, Baumeister published a poignant article on her blog about the tacky reporting methods that were employed in the aftermath of the tragedy. Condemning sensational journalism, she indicts the large number of reporters who seemingly forgot, or elected to forget, how to report with decency. http://meistergedanke.de/2015/cost-what-it-may-media-in-haltern/189. An edited version of the article appeared in the Guardian on 1 April. (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/01/school-tragedy-germanwings-crash-press-intrusion)
According to Baumeister, reporters descended on her school as soon as the horrid news was released. In the days that followed, droves of journalists relentlessly pointed telephoto lenses at the stunned and grieve stricken faces of her fellow students; unguarded conversations were recorded without permission, some reporters offered monetary compensation for quotes; journalists even sank so low as to pose as teachers, counselors and fellow students to secure information. The list goes on. Please visit the articles above to get an idea what these young students had to endure.
I asked myself, how many times have we all watched reports on horrid disasters while seeing a reporter thrust a microphone in front of the stunned victim and ask, “How do you feel?” Do we really need to ask? Is journalism foremost about being the first to get the story? Is it all about money? Are we no longer a civilized society that respects the right to privacy, to respect and to compassion? I think Mika made a point that is long overdue. The Haltern students need time to assimilate the horrible news. They need to mourn privately. Fifty years ago, there was a saying in Germany, “BILD sprach zuerst mit dem Toten – The tabloid BILD was the first to speak with the deceased.” It appears that BILD hasn’t changed its sensational journalism. And sadly, other media seem to have learned from BILD.
The complete article by Mika Baumeister was published in German on 30 March, 2015. It was translated into English on March 31st, 2015 by @anathem, @noctiajared, @Papiernote, @Sternenkind and @Sunflowermind.
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com. Walled-In is a story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War.
Tags: BILD sprach zuerst mit dem Toten, Germanwings crash, Haltern, Mika Baumeister, sensational journalism
