Score 1 for Sensationalism Over Sensitivity

We’ve seen it before and we’ll likely see it again, but that doesn’t mean we like it: Television stations exploiting people whose relatives have died in accidents.

The latest incident involved an elderly woman who died in a fire in her home. The preliminary report was that the woman, unable to escape because of a disability, burned to death.

Apparently, relaying the facts wasn’t graphic enough for KFSM-TV, Channel 5. The station’s report included video of the victim’s adult son running frantically toward the burned house after learning his mother was inside and footage of the victim’s husband driving onto the scene as he learned of his wife’s fate.

We’re not sure those pictures added anything but an element of voyeurism to the report. We are sure it did nothing to alleviate the pain of a grief-stricken family.