Is journalism going too far? At what point do you stop? I gotta feel sorry for the families of Melinda Duckett who killed herself after being grilled by Nancy Grace. Ms. Grace should have handle this very sensitive issue with more tact and sensitivity towards a mother who's son has just been kidnapped.
[H3]Family of mom who killed herself sues CNN's Grace[/H3] [P class=timeStamp]Updated Tue. Nov. 21 2006 1:37 PM ET
[img height=120 alt="Melinda Duckett, the mother of missing 2-year-old Trenton Duckett, holds a picture of her and her son on Aug. 29, 2006. (Orlando Sentinel / Stephen M.Dowell)" src="vny!://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20061121/160_ap_duckett1_061121.jpg" width=160 border=0] Melinda Duckett, the mother of missing 2-year-old Trenton Duckett, holds a picture of her and her son on Aug. 29, 2006. (Orlando Sentinel / Stephen M.Dowell)
[TABLE id=morePhotos] [TBODY] [TR] [TD] [DIV class=topPhoto][img height=120 alt="This undated promotional photo, provided by CNN Headline News, shows Nancy Grace on the Headline News set in New York. " src="vny!://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20061121/160_nancy_grace_061121.jpg" width=160 border=0] This undated promotional photo, provided by CNN Headline News, shows Nancy Grace on the Headline News set in New York.
[/DIV][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE] [H3]ORLANDO, Fla.[!-- /dateline --] -- Relatives of a missing boy's mother who killed herself after aggressive questioning by CNN's Nancy Grace sued the network and the talk-show host Tuesday, claiming Grace caused emotional distress that led to the suicide.[/H3] Melinda Duckett committed suicide Sept. 8, a day after Grace's show on CNN Headline News aired a segment in which Grace grilled Duckett about her whereabouts Aug. 27 -- the day 2-year-old Trenton Duckett was reported missing.
Authorities, who said last week they believe the boy is alive, have named Melinda Duckett as the prime suspect in his disappearance.
Jay Paul Deratany, the attorney representing Duckett's estate, said Tuesday that Grace encouraged Duckett to appear on her show by saying the goal was to draw public attention to help find Trenton.
"It's not just about the questioning, it's about the misrepresentation with the knowledge that she was emotionally distraught," Deratany said. The attorney said Grace improperly took on the role of a law enforcement officer.
CNN Headline News declined to comment specifically on the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.
"We stand by Nancy Grace and fully support her, as we have from the beginning of this matter," a spokeswoman said in a news release Tuesday.
[A href="vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061121/duckett_suit_061121/20061121?hub=Entertainment"][FONT size=1]vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061121/duckett_suit_061121/20061121?hub=Entertainment[/FONT][/A]
It's not so much journalism that's going so fas as the journalists - eagerly in pursuit of some big break no matter the cost to others. A symptom of our ever increasingly aggressive and acquisitive society.
Nancy Grace is heartless. BOOOOOO!! THUMBS DOWN!
I don't think Ms Grace has even offer any apologies to the family. Sad. Really sad and crappy journalism.
Doesn't it usually seem that when a network says they will stand by someone that they are busy preparing a pink slip?
You can always stand by someone with your back turned to them.
I'm sure they respect her right to speek freely. However I'm less sure that they will want her doing it on their network if it means lawsuits.
Then again, she'll be giving them publicity, and good or bad, publicity's publicity and it means dollars.
There's no such thing as a bad publicity. Just look at OJ and Michael Richards.
I hate her. Always have always will she used her dead husband who was murdered as a vehicle for her tv career.
Ah well, better to tread on the dead than the living, I suppose.
I've never liked Nancy Grace- she tries too hard, overacts, and is generally just plain annoying. She takes herself waaaaay to seriously and tries to make it seem like everything she does is of vast importance. I find her just this side of repulsive.
Despicable.. Its so sad when reporters whom are supposed to report unbiased news, show their true colours by badgering a grieving mother to the point of self blame and take their own life.
Too many reporters are like this now, like others have said. They are willing to hurt, harm, and slander other people in order to get ahead. A true dog eat dog example.
I'm amazed to see her associated with CNN. I've always thought she had that National Enquirer way about her.
isn't she an attorney by profession and started in TV as a court reporter?
Gawd I can't believe this woman! Her whole schtick is just mean and offensive (probably the way she wants it). Having not watched much tv (much less cable), I was shocked and horrified when I saw her whole act. Acting like she's going to solve the crime sitting on her ass in a studio by playing the bad cop without any good. The way she was haranging this poor woman was amazing, saying "I'm just trying to establish a timeline" blah blah blah... Don't you think the real police have already been over that already?!?!?
If I had lost a child and had to put up with that nonsense on national TV, I'd kill her, not myself.
I can't stand that bitch! As sad as I am for the family of the woman who commit sucide, I can't help but hope that the good in this is that it ends the carreer of Nancy "bitchface" Grace.
The fact that she has a show magnifies how far CNN and broadcast news in general has fallen from reporting news and gone toward sensationalistic bullshit.
Raver wrote:The fact that she has a show magnifies how far CNN and broadcast news in general has fallen from reporting news and gone toward sensationalistic bullshit.
Ha ha, you used "CNN" and "news" in the same sentence. Lolol, good one! (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)