Nancy Grace’s recent interview with a father whose child had been reported missing was, in a word, disgraceful. By choosing to tell the father on-air that his child had been found demonstrated a lust for sensationalism and insensitivity that defies any journalistic standards. Worse, she first announced to the father that the child had been found not specifying that the child was alive. After what I’m sure seemed like an eternity to the father she then included the fact that the child is alive.
Upon learning of the child’s discovery, Grace should have cut to commercial and informed the father off the air. Instead, she went for the “big moment” – the sensational shot of the father’s on-air reaction…likely hoping that the father would confess to some sort of wrong-doing. Of course, anything is possible. It’s possible that the father conspired with his 12-year-old child to gain national attention. But it’s doubtful. After all, the police had already searched the house multiple times…at least once with dogs.
In any event, Grace should have shown much more integrity, compassion and professionalism in a sensitive situation. One can only hope that HLN and its viewers express their disgust for Grace’s behavior. But given Grace’s past history as the “Murder Trial Queen,” we shouldn’t be surprised. In fact, the network seems to have disintegrated from Headline News into a network focused on gossip, sensationalism and prurient interest led by pseudo-journalists like Nancy Grace.
Grace is unlikely to ever change her tactics, but it would be justice if, one day, her family was the subject of a news story and she received similar treatment by another uncaring, callous “reporter.”