I just heard the most unsettling 911 audiotape.
Junior Seau’s girlfriend was calling for help on Wednesday after NFL great Junior Seau took his own life. We at RumorFix have made a decision that streaming this audio does not serve in the public’s interest — it only exploits this poor woman’s grief and is morbid.
It’s very painful to hear the audio — the woman is crying uncontrollably. We believe that she should be able to retain her dignity and not be blasted all over the media.
The broadcast of the audio by TMZ brings up an on-going controversy — should broadcasting 911 calls be banned?
Releasing 911 tapes is protected by the California Public Records Act. The main reason: public accountability. But more than a dozen states have banned the release of the audio and there is a move to include California in the ban.
We are not advocating censorship — we are simply advocating journalistic responsibility. We are asking that journalists think twice before releasing audio — we at RumorFix have taken our own advice. We thought twice and decided in this case, we are not broadcasting the audio.
Our sympathy goes out to Junior’s girlfriend, his mother and his three children who have suffered a tremendous loss.
