There’s an article at CNN about the October blizzard in Buffalo, NY. Three people died but CNN felt it was necessary to mention that one of them was an off-duty state trooper.
I don’t understand the relevance of someone’s job in this case. I’ve never seen CNN or any other news outlet report something along the lines of “Five people were killed in a three car pile-up, one of which was an off-duty manicurist and stamp enthusiast.”
It has been widely reported, at least locally, that the deceased was a trooper. Mentioning that he was off-duty, therefore, is to let folks know he wasn’t killed in the line of duty. (He was the passenger in a car that collided with a tractor trailer).
There have been two state troopers killed in the Buffalo region and two others seriously wounded in the past six months, all duty related.
Of course troopers die both off and on duty, but when it’s off duty, why mention that someone one who died in a blizzard was in law enforcemnt while neglecting the occupations of the others?
When I was in the service, I was a passenger in an automobile accident that was reported in the papers, and for some reason I was mentioned by rank, service, how long I’ve been in, etc., while the occupations of the others was never mentioned. I never did think that was quite appropriate or what the relevance was.
It’s because of public interest. People care when their brave public servants and armed service personnel are killed.
If they’re killed in the line of duty, yes - but if not, then I don’t see the relevance either.
I agree with this. There is a raised amount of public interest. If a military member was home on leave and crashed his car and died, it makes the paper stating that a _________ on leave was killed in a car crash. But it was not in the line of duty, so who cares, right? Wrong, more people might be able to relate, or be interested because of the particular job this person had.
I agree with this. There is a raised amount of public interest. If a military member was home on leave and crashed his car and died, it makes the paper stating that a _________ on leave was killed in a car crash. But it was not in the line of duty, so who cares, right? Wrong, more people might be able to relate, or be interested because of the particular job this person had.
I agree with this. There is a raised amount of public interest. If a military member was home on leave and crashed his car and died, it makes the paper stating that a _________ on leave was killed in a car crash. But it was not in the line of duty, so who cares, right? Wrong, more people might be able to relate, or be interested because of the particular job this person had.
Because the reporters know, and since they have the facts why not report them? I don’t think a reporter went looking to find out what the guy’s job was. He was just reporting what he had been told.
In this particular case, the identification of the victim was made by the Niagara County Sherriff’s office, and they identified him as an off-duty trooper. I suspect this was because some of the responding officers knew him. If it had been the mayor or a prominent businessmen, they’d know, and why not report it?
No particular reason for Cory Lidle to have his job disclosed in stories about his plane crash Thursday, but it was because as soon as his name was disclosed, reporters recognized it.
Perhaps because if word got out, people would automatically assume the officer was killed in the line of duty. So, better to clear that up from the beginning.
Which would also be true if he was a sanitation worker, auto mechanic, etc.
B-b-but they aren’t being PAID to be BRAVE. Unfortunately those jobs are just as necessary if not more than a public servant with a license to own firearms.
I think it’s just cops and military are easier to identify as such at the scene. If I got killed in a car crash today it would take at least until tomorrow for them to figure out what I do for a living. In fact, it would be cumbersome for the press and by the time the cops get around to it, if they ever will, it’s yesterdays news. Plumbers, electricians, lawyers and businessmen don’t have badges, guns or dog tags. Let’s assume the reporters will report all of the information they could from the scene, this self-selects for identifying the profession of dead reporters, firemen, paramedics, police, on-call doctors and veterinarians, military and I suppose on-call clowns. All of their employers are also usually available at odd hours (depends on the type of clown) and are more likely to volunteer such information about the dead/injured employee.
My work ID is in my wallet. It says where I work but not what I do. Assuming I die in a car crash today, a Sunday, what do you think the steps are to figure out what my profession is? Would you be able to do it before 6 O’clock news? Does anybody care that much? No, nobody does, nobody will.
I guess this makes the assumption that cops are easy to identify. I’ve always been under the impression that most cops use badge wallets and would have their badge on them if they were out and about. A lot of cops also carry even if off duty. A badge and a gun are things that are very likely to survive in a car crash, or even a small plane crash.
Apples and oranges ( or, Big Apples and oranges 
). Corey Lidle was a celebrity both locally and nationally, at least to sports fans. That kind of notariety means that his background and sports history will be discussed ad nauseum. Add to this the fact that he was an avid ( yet fairly new ) pilot, and the wags have plenty to chew on.
If he’d been an obscure player from an AA team in Trenton, it might or might not have mattered to mention his occupation. Then again, at least in the USA, we designate our heroes as cops, firefighters, military types, entertainers and jocks. But that’s a topic for another thread…
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