About three and a half years ago, the sister of a friend of mine was murdered. Her death made national headlines as the “MySpace Murder.” Her murderer, John Gaumer, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. His victim’s death was horrifically violent and totally senseless: she changed her mind about going home with him, and to thank her, he beat her to death, then violently mutilated her body to obscure her identity.
WBAL, the NBC-affiliate TV station (and a radio station, too) has been engaged in a legal battle with the Brown family over digital copies of Gaumer’s “disturbingly graphic” confession. Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals ruled in WBAL’s favor.
I understand that there is a need for the public to have access to materials which are considered public record, but frankly, airing part of Gaumer’s confession seems less like “news reporting”, and more like the sort of voyeurism that has led to stories about Michael Jackson still getting top billing on CNN a month after he died.
Whose interest is served by airing this footage? I’ll tell you whose interest isn’t: Josie’s orphaned daughter. If it’s gotta be public record, fine. But that doesn’t mean WBAL has any sort of journalistic obligation or imperative to air the footage. Frankly, this sort of sensationalism is part of the reason a whole lot of people are still talking about how Walter Cronkite’s death marked the end of journalism.
Although WBAL won the legal battle, I hope they never air the footage, and I hope you feel this way, too. Contact WBAL:
General Manager Jordan Wertlieb can be e-mailed at jwertlieb@hearst.com, and telephoned at 410-338-6403 (direct).
News Director Michelle Butt can be e-mailed at mbutt@hearst.com, and telephoned at 410-338-6501 (direct).