TMZ, that graphic Liam Payne photo and the damage it caused

[Coventina]

People fall. Sometimes they are pushed, other times they go too close to the edge.

Sometimes they jump.

We don’t know what happened to Liam Payne, other than that he was on a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, then he was on the ground below. And at 31, he is dead.

The news came late Wednesday, and like so many shocking celebrity revelations before it, many learned about it from gossip website TMZ. But fans who clicked on an alert, a tweet or even a link shared via text, were shocked to see a cropped image of Payne's lifeless body that was included alongside TMZ's reporting on the One Direction singer's death. The site later took the image down.

No matter how he died, we didn't need to see photos.

People were stunned by the graphic image, but perhaps we shouldn't be. After all, this is the same outlet that was scolded by police at the scene of Kobe Bryant's death, the outlet that mangled the news of Tom Petty's death and shared the grainy, suspiciously obtained footage of Solange and Jay-Z's infamous elevator fight. The Associated Press has standards when it comes to reporting on death − guidelines about the rare occasions when it's OK to include graphic images and details − at least they're supposed to. But on this night, according to an early story from AP, we know the sound made when his body hit the ground. They described it.

How much do we have the right to know the details when someone dies? What about if that person killed themselves rather than was killed by someone else? What if it was an accident or they were impaired by drugs or alcohol?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/10/17/tmz-liam-payne-death-photo-backlash/75713505007/

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I was way too old to be a 1D fan, but I know how insanely popular they were.

He was only 31, with a 7 year old daughter.

I DESPISE TMZ!!!

[BannonsLiver]

1. Harvey Levin is a big time Trump supporter

[Mosby]

4. I don't think he is anymore.

Nt

[Initech]

2. TMZ should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for that.

But they probably won't be. Fuck Harvey Levin.

[hlthe2b]

3. I agree, but they also have a horrendous pattern of skewing perceptions with their coverage/content routinely

Honestly, I've often wondered why their African American and other POC viewers do not get upset by the obsessive focus on black rappers, celebrities, or reality stars behaving badly, subject to criminal charges, or a scandal. Not that they don't love similar scandals for white celebrities, but it seems about 8:1 skewed with only the rare 'feel good' story for POC doing good things. I can't be the only one who notices that and finds it incredibly disturbing.

So, yeah, blood and gore is like a magnet for them--but that is not the only problem with TMZ.