Clement: In death do us part … with reality

The obituary has a special place in journalism. It’s a place where journalistic standards cease to exist, and objectivity is willingly abandoned.

The irony here is the news media goes to great lengths to say pretty nasty things about people while they are alive, but once dead, those sinners are transformed into instant saints. (Couple this with one of the first things learned in J. School – “Can’t libel a dead person” – and the whole purpose of journalism gets turned on its ear.) We’re so accustomed to the media mistreating live individuals, that when Newsday did a multiple-page retrospective on public relations wiz Gary Lewi, the story resulted in rumors of his imminent demise.

When it comes to obits, there’s a double standard in the amount of coverage a death gets. Celebrities, of course, command the lion’s share, but if someone who works in the news dies, then that person gets the celebrity treatment. When a young Newsday reporter passed away, the paper responded with pages of tribute – the kind of coverage it normally reserves for icons and former heads of state.

Obits even treat private individuals in a special way. Have you ever noticed how it’s always the “loving husband and father” or “devoted wife” who has ceased living? It’s never the liar, cheater or thief, or the two-timing bastard who would never pick up after himself. These kinds of people apparently get to live forever.

Because of what goes on in the creation of obituaries, it’s amusing The New York Times has responded to its own need for better policing by added an obituary editor to its staff. This comes after many embarrassing recent mistakes for the Times, not the least of which was the Walter Cronkite obit containing seven errors.

Perhaps, though, the news coverage of the death of Diane Schuler highlights the problem with the obituary in general: In death, the news media hailed the woman as a saint. On second blush, it appears she was only too human. Yet the media’s response is now one of anger, as they feel betrayed by a woman few, if any of them, ever met.

The reality is the news media betrays itself whenever it files an obit that focuses on fiction instead of fact.

And, by the way, rumors of Mr. Lewi’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

Jaci Clement is Executive Director of the Fair Media Council. She may be reached at jaci.clement@fairmedia.dev3.facadeinteractive.com. This article originally appeared on Aug. 13, 2009 in Long Island Business News.