I think all of our hearts broke when we heard the tragic news about the helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, several of their friends and the pilot. I know, for me, I still tear up when I see pictures of the father and daughter together as well as the other families who were lost that day.

But there is also another tragedy that occurred on that Sunday. Apparently, TMZ leaked the news of Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s deaths before authorities say they were able to confirm the victims and notify the families. I recall my shock at hearing the chief of police Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff, said at a news conference that Sunday afternoon that the authorities had not yet contacted Mr. Bryant’s family before TMZ published its report.

I understand that with the advent of social media there is pressure on the news media to report the news as quickly as possible. But I cannot imagine how one’s pain would be intensified from hearing about the death of a loved one on social media. Currently, an online petition calls on Fox Television Stations to cancel TMZ in the wake of their actions In response, TMZ claims that as a news organization, they had the obligation to report.

With a free press can there be parameters on how quickly news outlets report the news? If so what should the parameters be? How fast is too fast?