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David Carradine’s death — a few thoughts on media coverage

A few thoughts about David Carradine’s death and the subsequent media coverage:

  • The image supposedly showing Carradine’s body in his hotel room
    As theories about the cause of Carradine’s death evolved from suicide to auto-erotic asphyxiation, a key element in the public’s perception of the case, it seems, was the surfacing of a photo that supposedly shows Carradine’s body in his hotel room. In the image, which is digitally altered to obscure the face and much of the body, a man is shown hanging in a closet, with his hands bound above his head.

    Thai tabloid newspaper Thai Rath published the image two days after Carradine was found dead, and many assume the photo is authentic. (I will not link to it here.) Others, however, aren’t so sure about the image’s provenance. As Andrew at the Thai media blog Bangkok Bugle points out:

    The upmarket Nai Lert Park hotel where Carradine’s body was found is refusing to confirm or deny if the image depicts one of their suites. Thai Rath remains equally silent about its sources, as does the Royal Thai Police about whether this image is genuine.

    Thailand’s most popular newspaper has been branded “sick” and “sensationalist” for its decision to publish the pictures on Saturday, however to those in Thailand their coverage is nothing out of the ordinary. Yesterday’s front page, for example, showed blood-spattered bodies from the latest terror attack in the south of the Kingdom.

    Regardless of this particular photo’s authenticity, there’s a bigger issue here: Thai Rath and other newspapers in Thailand are known for their graphic coverage. As Patrick Winn noted last month in GlobalPost:

    Each morning, Thailand’s newspaper racks offer a gallery of gore.

    Few days pass without a corpse, face-down and blood-soaked, appearing on Thai newspapers’ front pages. Equally common are accident scenes, with unlucky drivers spilling lifelessly from their totaled cars.

  • Backlash in the Thai English language media
    There’s been some backlash in the Thai English-language papers. On Wednesday, the Nation ran this opinion piece, called “Sorry, David, if we are denying you peace.” The author explains the paper’s approach to covering the story. And yesterday’s Bangkok Post has this item, “Shocking pix need a call for moral outrage.”
  • International coverage
    News of Carradine’s death has made headlines the world over, not just in Thailand, of course. Al Tompkins has a post at the journalism site PoynterOnline called “Why You Shouldn’t Publish Alleged Carradine Death Photos.” An excerpt:

    Thai Rath, a newspaper in Thailand, has published a front-page photo of what it says is David Carradine’s body hanging by ropes in a hotel closet. The actor was found dead in a Bangkok hotel last week.

    No doubt, the grisly photo, as well as an autopsy photo that’s been surfacing across the Web, will generate lots of traffic.

    But they’re not news.

    It’s right to wonder whether they’re authentic, but even if they are, I can’t imagine a legitimate reason to publish them.

  • New details and the ongoing investigation
    Meanwhile, details about Carradine’s death are still emerging: A forensics expert hired by the actor’s family has now examined Carradine’s body in the US. As the AP recently reported, the expert says Carradine’s death was not a suicide, though he cautioned that a final cause of death can’t be determined at this point. The results of ongoing Thai forensics tests should be known in a matter of weeks.
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Misc.

David Carradine: update from Bangkok

Here’s the latest on “Kung Fu” and “Kill Bill” star David Carradine’s death here in Bangkok:

  • Thai newspaper Thai Rath has published an image that allegedly shows Carradine dead in his hotel room. The photo supposedly shows Carradine naked, hung in a closet with his hands bound above his head. (Interest in the image spiked last weekend: a search for “David Carradine death photo” debuted on the Google Trends list of most-searched-for phrases on Saturday.)
  • Carradine’s family is upset about the publication of the image, and they’ve said they may pursue legal action if other outlets run the photo. Carradine’s family has also said they want the FBI to investigate the case. Thai police say the FBI can “observe” the investigation.
  • Regarding the publication of the image, the Bangkok Post has this story: “Carradine family upset by Thailand

    The family of the late actor David Carradine have launched strong anti-Thailand criticism touched off by the death of the TV and movie star.

    They are “profoundly disturbed” by publication of a forensics photo in a Bangkok newspaper, claim that the Thai pathologist is incompetent, want to go around the Thai police with FBI investigators – and threaten to sue any Thai media printing additional photos of Carradine after his death.

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More on Carradine’s death in Bangkok

AP: “Thai police: Carradine death may be accidental

BANGKOK (AP) — The body of American actor David Carradine, best known for the 1970s TV series “Kung Fu,” was found in a hotel room closet with a rope tied to his neck and genitals, and his death may have been accidental suffocation, Thai police said Friday.

The 72-year-old actor’s body was discovered Thursday in his luxury suite at Bangkok’s Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel. Police initially said they suspected suicide, though Carradine’s associates had questioned that theory.

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David Carradine dies in Bangkok

Actor David Carradine, best known for his role on the 1970’s TV series “Kung Fu,” was found dead here in Bangkok today. Police have said that he was found hung in his hotel room.

In addition to starring in “Kung Fu” and in many Hollywood movies, Carradine had a notable part as “Bill” in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” volumes 1 and 2. The 72-year-old was in Bangkok shooting a new film.

Here’re some news stories:

AP/NPR: “Actor David Carradine Found Dead In Bangkok

BBC: “Kung Fu star Carradine found dead

EW.com: “David Carradine: RIP

Nation: “David Carradine found dead in Bangkok