Recently, the site made headlines when it posted about the tragic death of One Direction star Liam Payne, who fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina. Within hours of the incident, TMZ published an article, including cropped photos of Payne’s body, sparking immediate backlash. Although the outlet eventually removed the images, many felt it crossed an ethical line.
Liam Payne Dead Body X Twitter
This isn’t the first time TMZ has faced criticism for its handling of sensitive news about celebrity deaths. The outlet was previously criticized for sharing information about the suicides of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Swedish DJ Avicii and publishing news of Kobe Bryant’s passing before his family was informed.
Under U.S. law, according to Northeastern professor John Wihbey, due to the First Amendment’s broad protection of press freedom. “There are really very few limits on what publishers can publish,” Wihbey explains, noting that some restrictions exist regarding reasonable privacy expectations. However, he adds that criminal law provides little limitation on such reporting, which allows outlets like TMZ to operate within the legal landscape despite public outcry.
Wihbey is clear, though, that legality doesn’t equate to ethical integrity. “They traffic in rumor, hearsay, and gossip,” he points out. For many, TMZ’s approach to Payne’s death typified its “edgy” brand, as the outlet cropped photos to reveal only part of Payne’s arm and torso, highlighting tattoos to identify him. Even with attempts to censor more graphic details, public backlash from fans, fellow journalists, and celebrities like Alessia Cara was swift.
The ethics of TMZ’s reporting are further questioned in cases like these, where images provide little value beyond sensational impact. Meg Heckman, another journalism professor at Northeastern, explains that most reputable publications wouldn’t run such images unless they had a strong public interest, beyond mere shock value. “Maximizing truth while minimizing harm to vulnerable parties” is a core principle, Heckman says. She suggests that images of significant events, like those of casualties from global conflicts, are sometimes used to highlight grave situations. “But in this case,” she adds, “any harm to vulnerable parties doesn’t seem justified… I see no reason beyond clickbait for TMZ to post such an image.”
While TMZ may sidestep legal consequences for its practices, Wihbey notes that its choices could be damaging to public trust in journalism as a whole. “The U.S. public holds the press in very low regard right now, and this behavior doesn’t help an otherwise pretty sorry situation,” he concludes.