This one, I think, hit a bit harder and perhaps hurt a little more than some others in recent weeks, both in and out of the entertainment and news business.
And like it or not, the entertainment industry includes a whole lot more of the journalism community than most of us care to admit. It’s our own fault and we made it this way but since that is light years from the point here, we move along.
Hardly a week goes by without the news of a notable, celebrity or a public figure whose death takes us by surprise, so I have no doubt that more than one news outlet had at least a shell of an obituary prepared for Matthew Perry, and probably for some time now.
I have spoken previously about this somewhat ghoulish practice of laying the groundwork before the inevitable strikes, along with the merits as well as the potential risks.
That argument is neither here nor there this time and no criticisms or accusations of the news media having their obits RTG (ready to go) should be offered or made.
On the contrary, I rather think the news media, along with the community at large, was caught off guard this time, mostly because I think we wanted it that way.
Without delving too deeply into what’s known about Perry’s career, his failings and his struggles, I think we wanted him to come out a winner. Matthew Perry was an admired and popular celebrity among the flock and when his not-so-unique Hollywood story of addiction and near-death experiences became very public (via his book and the publicity surrounding it all), I think most of us wished him well.
After all, part and parcel with his and our telling of his story, there was a genuine belief that others could be helped by all the public disclosure. Along with Perry’s tale, there were countless news stories that followed about addiction treatment, support for those struggling in local communities as well as others who also came forward to bear their truths and to offer help to strangers.
As those stories were told, we rooted for Matthew Perry because we were fans, our audience were fans and while we knew this could happen, we didn’t want it to happen, so it wasn’t going to happen.
In 2006, I remember when the news first broke of Steve Irwin’s death. And yes, at ABC News, we did have an obit already prepared for the Crocodile Hunter. Dark as it may sound, the man regularly played with crocodiles and a host of dangerous animals, we were realists.
Inappropriate? Maybe. Prudent? Certainly. Nevertheless, nobody really expected it.
With Matthew Perry, I think the feeling was pretty much the same. No matter what the actual cause of his untimely death turns out to be, we were caught off guard.
But it is news, legitimate news, and we cover it.
Properly and respectfully, I hope, but sadly not always.
Like often happens in the hours and days following an unexpected but high-profile death, at least one news outlet went high on the speculation path, trying to shed light on a possible cause. In the media world, that can rarely be accomplished without asking Dr. Michael Baden, a former chief medical examiner in New York City who was associated or associated himself with several controversial or publicly volatile cases, like the O.J. Simpson and Phil Spector homicide trials and later on the police involved deaths of Michael Brown and George Floyd.
The now 89-year-old Baden tends to emerge with alternate theories on causes of death which he later must quantify or qualify or downright recant or he responds with the standard, “We will have to wait until the toxicology reports come back.” Not an unreasonable assessment by a medical professional but one generally offered first by the actual coroner and detectives involved in the case as well as the average cocker spaniel. Nothing wrong with that I suppose but probably falling far short of the hopes and expectations of Fox News which pays the freight for Baden as an on-air analyst.
Fortunately, most news coverage is taking a more wait-and-see approach, even TMZ and People, at least at this point.
There was so much ink, screen, and airtime devoted to Perry’s struggles, relapses, and recoveries over the years that when he came out with his book and spoke openly about what almost killed him several times, I think even we in news were not only convinced he was on a good path, again, I think we were openly rooting for him.
I, myself am okay with the way the coverage has panned out so far. The key words there are so far. Talk to me this weekend.
Then again, to already witness revered anchors and reporters freely throw out references to the Chick and the Duck and the now forever empty Barcalounger since the news broke, I am left with a sense of community.
I am also left caring about the latest adventures of Taylor and Travis that much less.
As we should, we report on the reaction from Perry’s colleagues, co-stars, and fans. His former Friends castmates put out a joint statement and tributes continue from the worlds of hockey, tennis, and politics and social media has been remarkably tame and affectionate.
Still, as the story is told, once again we are forced to use words like, “devastating”, “heartbreaking” and “immeasurable”.
Words we use in coverage of sad and tragic events every day, but this is one among so many already that we just don’t need right now.
Bill Zito has devoted most of his work efforts to broadcast news since 1999. He made the career switch after serving a dozen years as a police officer on both coasts. Splitting the time between Radio and TV, he’s worked for ABC News and Fox News, News 12 New York , The Weather Channel and KIRO and KOMO in Seattle. He writes, edits and anchors for Audacy’s WTIC-AM in Hartford and lives in New England. You can find him on Twitter @BillZitoNEWS.
