PressEthic

Female news anchors have been excessively analyzed in the news lately, with Katie Couric taking over the CBS evening news and Meredith Viera moving to The Today Show. As media pundits have critiqued these women’s every move, rating fluctuation and outfit change, one female newswoman has created a stir of controversy that is getting less attention.

Nancy Grace, CNN’s Headline News legal analyst and Larry King Live co-host, is under fire thanks to her notoriously aggressive personality and reporting style. After a telephone interview for CNN’s Nancy Grace taped on September 7, guest Melinda Duckett committed suicide. Duckett was being interviewed by Grace about the mysterious disappearance of her 2-year old son for which she was in question, though not named as a suspect.

Grace, who earned her LLM in constitutional and criminal law from NYU, is infamous for her aggressive and opinionated method of interview. Members of Duckett’s family say that Grace was so brutal to Duckett during the interview that it directly caused the woman to commit suicide the next day. Many question CNN’s decision to air the taped interview even after it was discovered that Duckett had killed herself.

Media critics have expressed varied and heated responses on the topic, some even insisting that Grace should be fired.

Grace makes no apology for her actions. The newswoman's controversial style has been questioned in other instances, particularly during the Elizabeth Smart case. Yet I wonder, did she go too far this time?

Did Nancy Grace cross the line of responsibility or is it a possibility that, as we discussed in class, Grace was being a strong journalist – not letting the subject off the hook, keeping at Duckett until she got answers? Was Duckett’s suicide not a result of Grace’s actions but of Duckett’s guilt or inability to handle the traumatic situation at hand?

Furthermore, was the airing of this interview important for viewers to see or just a sensational story that was great for CNN’s ratings?