Princess Diana

Was CBS right to show the photos

YES
5
33%
NO
10
67%
 
Total votes: 15
Anonymous

Quote:
Diana's brother 'sickened' by pictures on US television
BY PA NEWS, CHRIS JOHNSTON AND ANDREW PIERCE



The brother of Diana, Princess of Wales said today that he was "shocked and sickened" by the broadcast of images of his dying sister on American television.



The grainy black and white photocopies of photographs from a French investigation report showed the Princess being treated by a doctor as she lay slumped in the back of the car in which she died in Paris in 1997.

The images were shown on the US TV network CBS in the early hours of this morning. It was the first time that the photographs - taken moments after the crash in a road tunnel - had been shown in public.

A brief statement released by the Althorp estate of the Princess's family today read: "Lord Spencer and his family are shocked and sickened by CBS's actions."

A friend of the Spencer family said earlier: "This is sick, sick, sick. I have never heard of anything more offensive. It is a gross invasion of privacy. This will distress William and Harry and will create a real fear in the family that these images will one day be shown in Britain.

"It is a very sad day for press freedom when a respected media organisation feels it can exploit images of people in death for commercial gain. This is a very sad day and we are all shocked an appalled."

Clarence House was unwilling to become involved in the controversy last night but officials were confident that the photographs would not be published in Britain.

Diana had her eyes closed in the pictures which were confiscated by police from photographers at the scene. She died from internal injuries hours after the car slammed into the 13th pillar of the tunnel, while being followed by photographers.

The eerie pictures, shown for ten seconds, were obtained by the 48 Hours Investigates programme and were part of a confidential 4,000-page accident report compiled by French investigators.

The report appeared to dispel many of the conspiracy theories about the death of the world's most photographed woman. It concluded that Henri Paul, her chauffeur, was over the legal alcohol limit to drive and had taken a number of prescription drugs. It found that the crash, which also killed Dodi Fayed, Diana's lover, as well as M Paul, was an accident.

But it also revealed that M Paul had received tens of thousands of pounds in unexplained payments in the nine months before the accident.

Despite a search of his home and office, and the questioning of his friends and associates, the French investigators were unable to find the source of the payments.

The report included results of the post-mortem examination of M Paul and an analysis of the car.

The doctor seen in one of the pictures attending to Diana, Frederic Mailliez, told the programme: "As I approached the tunnel I saw smoke in the middle of the tunnel. I went to the wreckage to see what was going on inside."

Describing the Princess's condition, he said: "I can tell you that her face was still beautiful. She didn't have any injuries on her face. She was unconscious. She didn't speak at all."

The programme also examined persistent but discredited rumours that the Princess was pregnant when she died and made new claims about another man who could have been "Diana's real Prince Charming".

Ken Wharfe, the Princess's former protection officer, and Patrick Jephson, her chief of staff, were interviewed on the show. They tell of the great lengths they went to to hide her marriage difficulties and how she conducted extra-marital affairs.

But Mr Wharfe today joined the criticism of the decision to screen the harrowing images.

He told GMTV: "I was invited along with others in the belief this was a documentary to tell the positive side of Diana, rather than the negative that we have now being seen on American television."

He blamed competition for viewers for the decision to broadcast the pictures, adding: "It is regrettable that we have to see this.

"I do not think it is good journalism and it is certainly not going to demonstrate any more than we know already."

A recent poll for CBS News found that about a quarter of Americans still believed that Diana's death was not an accident.

Mohamed al-Fayed, Dodi Fayed's father who has maintained that the couple was murdered, accused CBS of cashing in on their deaths.

He said: "This was a crime - the murder of two innocent people.

"CBS obviously don't care about the appalling effect of showing images of murder victims. They simply want to cash in on the tragedy.

"It is disgraceful and insensitive of them to do this.

"It is devastating for me and for Prince William and Prince Harry."

Mr al-Fayed has waged a lengthy legal battle against paparazzi photographers who were following the Princess and his son that night for invasion of privacy.

Liam Fox, the Tory party co-chairman, condemned the broadcast. He said: "This is truly obscene, and displays journalism of the most base sort. It is appalling bad taste and can only bring distress to those who were close to the late Princess.

"Any UK broadcaster or newspaper who uses the pretext of news to reproduce these photographs would be guilty of the most grotesque and offensive behaviour."

Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, last week said that he would re-enact the Princess's final journey through Paris as part of his attempts to find out what caused the crash in which she died.

From THE TIMES

I am shocked that CBS had aired the Diana program

Its Disrespectful,Horrible,Disgusting.

Have they got no shame, And also Airing a picture when she was dying 4times

Even the UK Tabloids would'nt do that and it has been comdemed by the Tabloids,Mohammed al Fayed,Earl Spencer,Buckingham Palace and more.

CBS has given American TV a even bad name.


Why cant they just live Princess Diana to RIP?
Martin
Posts: 386
Joined: Sat 09 Aug, 2003 20.01
Location: U.K.

removed
Brad
Posts: 311
Joined: Tue 19 Aug, 2003 08.32
Location: York, UK

Why are there two 'No' votes? :?
Image
"That one!"
User avatar
Pete
Posts: 7589
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.36
Location: Dundee

Brad wrote:Why are there two 'No' votes? :?
Maybe he's related to Frank Pickle.
"He has to be larger than bacon"
Anonymous

Look it was a mistake with the two NO's now can we get on with the subject NOW!.
User avatar
Pete
Posts: 7589
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.36
Location: Dundee

Barrett wrote:Look it was a mistake with the two NO's now can we get on with the subject NOW!.
maybe if you say please.
"He has to be larger than bacon"
Anonymous

Barrett wrote:Look it was a mistake with the two NO's now can we get on with the subject NOW! Please.
James Hatts
Posts: 309
Joined: Sat 16 Aug, 2003 23.34
Location: London

Hymagumba wrote:Maybe he's related to Frank Pickle.
Don't you mean Jim Trott?
User avatar
Pete
Posts: 7589
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.36
Location: Dundee

James Hatts wrote:
Hymagumba wrote:Maybe he's related to Frank Pickle.
Don't you mean Jim Trott?
I do indeed - that was my "deliberate mistake of the day"
"He has to be larger than bacon"
cdd
Posts: 2607
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 14.05

So, is there anywhere we can see the pictures?q
Anonymous

cdd wrote:So, is there anywhere we can see the pictures?q
you must be sick if you want to see them pictures
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