In a segment on Fox News this morning with Geraldo Rivera they actually showed footage of 20 year-old supermodel Ruslana Korshunova’s body on the pavement in front of her NY apartment. I’m not going to post it here, but I can’t talk about without a link at least, so here’s a link to that video – extreme warning.
At first it looks like they’re only going to show the body bag, which is what CNN usually does and seems a bit morbid but not disrespectful. Instead they showed footage of her face with blood on it as seen underneath an emergency vehicle for over half a minute.
Geraldo says all sensational-like: “These are the last images of her broken body being lifted off the Manhattan sidewalk, where shocked and sickened witnesses watched her smash onto the concrete. This image stands in stark contrast to the fairtale images of the famous face, chestnut hair that made her modeling’s next big thing.”
Then they show her white face from underneath a car and the word “exclusive” flashes on the screen. Just because she was a model doesn’t mean she deserves to have her death broadcast. Great “exclusive,” Fox.
Korshunova is thought to have committed suicide by jumping from her seventh-story apartment. There were no signs of a struggle. She had just watched a movie with an ex boyfriend, who had dropped her off at her apartment. Her Facebook postings may suggest that she was depressed and struggling with a recent breakup, but her latest boyfriend says she seemed happy and he doesn’t understand why she would take her own life. The coroner has ruled her death a suicide.
Hello, your resident broadcaster here. FOX news knows full well what they are doing and that they’ll get a bunch of backlash… and (they hope) that’ll lead more people to tune in. Also, they know a bunch of blogs and watchdogs will talk and write about them because of it, keeping their name all over the place.
Many viewers no matter the network will sit there and say “oh this is so terrible, I can’t believe it”….. but they don’t change the channel.
she still looks beautiful even with the blood around her mouth – guess fox decided that a few more shocked and sickened witnesses wouldn’t make much difference
She chose a very public way to end her life, so it isn’t unexpected that news agencies would want to sensationalize the tragic event, especially Fox. Freedom of the press folks. It’s their right to report in whatever manner they feel will get them the highest ratings. Can’t have it both ways.
” you decide to jump off of a building and land in a public place, why shouldnt it bee shown on the news everyone else on the block already saw it. ” – chrissy
Why should it not be shown ? It’s called tact, look it up in the dictionary if you are not familiar with the term. Just because she was a model and ended up in a public place upon death does not make it a classy or tactful thing to do by broadcasting her dead body on national televion. My god, some of you people are just unbelievable.
Am I the only person who thinks that pictures like this are a valuable public service? It’s the same reason I’ve never thought violence and gore should be as censored as it is.
People need to be reminded that death is ugly and permanent, if only to discourage them from actions that will result in it. Last year the high school down the street from my house had 3 kids die in a drunk driving accident, and they parked the burned out hulk of that car on the front lawn of the school for the rest of the year. People need to be reminded that there are horrible consequences that accompany stupid decisions.
There is nothing romantic about suicide, especially when you end up a smear on the sidewalk – maybe this will cement that in the minds of a few depressed teenagers.
I have no interest in seeing someone’s dead body.
What’s with Geraldo calling her friend’s comment about her being a great, or special, person “lame?” He said it was “kind of a lame quote.” How rude.
Is everyone supposed to have a stockpile of awesome quotes to quip in the unlikely event we are asked for comment by a news source?
So I guess you all think someone is sane when they commit suicide? They are exploiting another person’s mental illness for ratings. Doesn’t matter which tv channel, it’s a disgrace.
Oh and to add to my first comment…
Before you respond with the “freedom of press” and the “life lesson” garbage…
Yes you’re right, technically it’s legal to do and within our rights granted by the constitution… So that makes it OK, right ?
Would it still be OK if this was someone you cared about ? If this was your aunt ? your cousin ? your mother ? your little sister ?
(disgusted)
what is the big deal? most of her body is wrapped up – all they showed was a very small portion of her face. it’s not like it was gorey, or full-dead-body shot. jeez, people.
I think she didn’t care for the way she died to be public or not… I think she was looking for efficiency.
I remember being 18 and having suicidal thoughts. I now see young people as they are having land of possibilities in front of them, but at that time I was just feeling lost, insecure, useless and meaningless. It’s said to be commun to have teenagers and post-teenagers being suicidal for no apparent reason. There are so many changes happening in the chemistry of the brain at that age, it’s just becoming mature.
Personally think it’s all shades of wrong. If that was my sister or close friend, would I want her to be seen like this? No. She’s dead. Seeing her like this adds nothing to the understanding of why she’s dead so there’s no justification for showing these images. As always, it’s a judgement call and Fox plainly went for viewing figures.
I see we do not have any college educated people here, psychology 101 tells you that when someone is suicidal they are not of sound mind.
Even the catholic church, a dinasour when it comes to religious progreess does not say someone is going to hell anymore when they commit suicide.
Showing sights of someone that comitted suicide does nothing to change a suicidal person’s thoughts. Pick up a book and read about the subject. What ugly comments written here.
Shame on the police/fire/ems. We have sheets and crowd control for that.There is no news service that wouldn’t give that a shot…IF ALLOWED!!!
Why shouldn’t it be shown??? Because I’m sure she has family and friends who love her dearly. I lost my mother to suicide 6 years ago and the pain is so life-shattering that nothing in the world could ever prepare you for it or help you ever get 100% over it. Violent suicides such as this and my mother’s are even worse. During one of the stages of my grief I called and begged the detective to please destroy any photographs that were taken at the scene (which was in her home) because I never wanted ANYONE to view them for any sick, self-serving reason. My request was granted. If I had been denied, I would have felt like I was being raped in addition to the indescribable anguish of losing her in such a violent, horrific way. As for any suicide prevention messages to be gained from the viewing of such photos – it is rarely suicidal people who want to view such horrible things. I chose to use my voice as a so-called “survivor” to teach suicide prevention by painting the very ugly picture of what life is like for those of us who are left behind. It’s horrible for her family that she chose to take her life in a public place, but that does not give the media the right to exploit it for millions to see instead of the unfortunate few who were witnesses. Her family did not choose this and do not deserve to have any extra pain heaped upon them. It is a horrible situation any way you spin it, but focus needs to be on helping her loved ones try to somehow survive this. Unfortunately, it is too late to help the deceased. She was obviously at a very painful place in her life and needed serious psycological help. Exploiting this tragedy will not undo the damage that has been done and can only make it worse for the grieving.
It’s disrespectful. If you don’t realize that then something is wrong with you. I don’t know how the FCC finds Fox a legitimate news organization at this point.
Geraldo, is barely even considered a news caster at this point, and it’s sad that his career is left to showing the broken body of someone’s dead child.
@Bill- I had a friend who took his life in front of me, so I got to see up close the horrid reality of suicide. You can’t get much more graphic than watching someone blow their head off playing Russian Roulette. I know that seeing what I have has made me perhaps a little intolerant of people and their selfishness when committing suicide. It’s those you leave behing that suffer the most. Showing the graphic nature of her suicide might send a message to other young girls, models, people in general, that it is not a glamourous way to go out. As for freedom of the press, why is it, when it comes to certain issues, people support it, but when it comes to issues that may be contrary to your views, shocking or offensive to ones delicate sensibilities, people don’t enjoy the freedoms liberal perameters. You cannot support it on some things and not as a whole. Her death is no more graphic or different than any other story that you may see on any news program, in any city on a daily basis. She chose to kill herself by jumping off her balcony in one of the most high profile cities in the world, she is a model, she is young. She had an agenda herself, as heartless as it may sound, but she wanted the attention in death equal to what she had in life, otherwise her method of killing herself would more than likely have been different.
wow – so sad that a young woman would feel so hopeless, sad that a news show would exploit that for ratings, and sad that people would think it’s ok. oh and geraldo? fuck you.
masquedance I am so sorry to hear what you went through with your mother’s death and thank you for being strong enough to educate others about the pain suicide brings to the entire family.
Bill – most news outlets do not report suicides unless they are a well-known person, so as not to inspire copy cats.
Jinx – the FCC does not “decide” legitmate news outlets and has no say over that. Thank god, as it’s a branch of the government and the government should have no say in the news. Can you imagine how that would be?
To expand on my original comment, I’m not trying to justify FOX’s decision to air this. I’m trying to get everyone who posts this story, comments on it, and discusses it around the watercooler to realize: you are just doing FOX’s bidding. Spreading their name around. Nothing wrong with that. Just think about it before you mention it to a friend, will that friend now tune into FOX to see what the hub bub is all about?
As a broadcaster, I have no ethical problems with it. FOX has branded themselves as the tabloidy, sensational, and outlandish network… and everyone knows what they’re getting when they tune in. MSNBC is following suit on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
I think its a sad state of affairs when people think dead bodies should be shown in the media. How would you feel if you lost a loved one and over the weekend, you see their bloodied corpse on the television? Ugh. I can almost hear the thoughts of the cameraman here “ratings gold”. Absolutely souless. 😐
Excuse me while I go hurl into a bucket somewhere. I don’t even know what to say to that clip. I don’t know why I clicked it, I thought surely it can’t be as bad as is being said. Last year someone I knew threw themselves off a 5-story building. They survived, in a vegetative state. Now I’m contemplating the difference between 5 stories and 7. Two floors, that’s it. Personally I think Ruslana is the lucky one. She’s dead, it’s over for her, she doesn’t have to deal with the fallout or anything. Whereas the person I knew is hanging somewhere between life and death, not really living at all.
When the news people call in-they ask if a particular scene is “news worthy”. That means bloody to you civilians.If its a fire….are there victims? On & on.They would all do this-all.
How many people see their loved ones mangeled, bloodied vehicles on the news when a major accident is reported on? How many women see their dead son’s bodies on the news when gang violence is reported on? Are reports and coverage of beatings any less disturbing, especially if they are children being abused and the abuser is caught on tape? We may not like to see these images, we may not like them even more if they are someone we are close to, but that is life these days in our media rich world. We have encouraged shows glorifying violence and gore, we have eaten up the reality programming phenom like hungry wolves. We have proven over and over we are fascinated by scandal, tragedy and things controversial. If it were someone in my family, well I think the fact that they were dead would far out weigh anything that I would see reported on tv. I would also expect to happen what is happening with this young woman. Everyone loves the press so much, this is what you get.
She was beautiful…rich…had everything to live for. You wonder why someone like that would take their own life. Mental illness…depression…they are silent killers.
Well, i am sure somene’s young child had to witness it first hand and will be dealing with nightmares and psychological issues for years to come. Fox news is not the reason for any heavy pain anyone is experiencing right now.
Women usually do not opt for violent ways of suicide; that has been documented. She jumped when she could her perhaps taken pills; maybe it wasn’t even a suicide. Still early.
Elisha I understand reporting famous suicides as more people would have an interest; but I think that would actually inspire copycats more than a regular Joe suicide.
I felt like the police thought they had shielded her with the emergency vehicle, probably not counting on some cameraman getting down on the ground to shoot the pictures underneath the vehicle. It’s not so horrific to look at, just a wax doll lying there with blood on her face.
I don’t know how far down you have to get to even contemplate killing yourself. I hope I never find out. I’ve been to the point where I wouldn’t care if a bus hit me, but have never had the urge to jump off a building. I am so sorry for whatever circumstances made this beautiful young woman think that was her only option.
I think suicide is probably the most selfish thing anyone can do. A friend of mine’s stepfather was ill with cancer, had about 6 months to live. He decided to eat a shotgun barrel in the basement of their home on Christmas Eve, while his wife was out shopping. I can’t imagine being so down that you could not wait until after the holidays. Christmas is forever a bitter thing for that family.
Truly, the person who kills him/herself is not sane at the time they do it.
Elisha, the American government has a hell of a lot of say in what gets put in American news. I don’t think freedom of the press exists in the US.
I didn’t click on the link as I knew I didn’t want to see it and I don’t have the stomach for that. It’s sensationalistic and low-brow/lowest common denominator journalism.
As to what Scott F said, about the mangled wreckage of the car being put in front of the high school, I do think that’s a great deterrent. I think adding pictures of what the dead bodies looked like would not have been a good idea. That’s essentially what Fox did.
FNC has many more viewers than MSNBC, almost three times more.
I am a regular FNC viewer and must admit, it was a jolt to see that segment. But……….
If you don’t like it, change the channel.
devilgirl: I am not disputing the fact that the news is allowed to air material such as this subject, I am objecting the decision to show the unnecessary graphic visual image of the corpse on national television. Do you believe that was the appropriate thing to do ? Do you think that was necessary in conveying the news story to the public ? I think not.
Elisha: I understand that suicides are reported on for those that choose a lifestyle that focuses on being in the eye of the public. My problem is the way it was handled by Fox news. The same story could have been told with the same facts, minus the broadcasted corpse and it would have accomplished the same goal.
Fox News .. taking “If it Bleeds, It Leads” to the extreme.
And how tragic .. lovely young lady and only 20. Modeling is a ***ked up business, I know, but wow. It’s times like these you wish some of these kids had people who could mentor them and help them through the tough times. It is demoralizing to have people treat you like a trick pony. If you have no support group around you to remind you have worth beyond your body and face .. boozing, drugging and suicide are the usual results sadly.
Poor dear, I hope she is at least a peace now.
The police blew it…..as far as suicide being selfish-yeah,thats why its called suicide…self-murder. In public safety we feel bad for those who thought-for whatever reason-it was their only option-but we applaud when they take no else physically with them.
I agree with Scott F. I’ve never seen a dead white person on the news before. You always see lots of dead Iraqis or dead Africans, but they never show white people. I feel enlightened, almost.
@Bill- I have never said that I thought it was appropriate or necessary. I find many things that the media reports on unnecessary or inappropriate. However, that doesn’t mean that this situation is any different than footage of people jumping from the World Trade Center, leaping to their deaths. That footage to me was horrbile, especially given the fact these people were trying to escape to nowhere. Do you think the families of those people deserved to have those images shown repeatedly ? Were they necessary? Images from 9/11 were far more graphic than the ones of this model. They were worse for the families who had to view them, but the media did what they do.
Yeah, Megan and Devilgirl conveyed what I was trying to get across better than I did. I can’t count how many times I had to watch footage of people jumping from the WTC, or the bodies of our soldiers and contractors being dragged through the streets on the nightly news.
How many dead Iraqi’s do you people see in an average 2 hours of cable news? These people don’t have families?
Really, I get the difference though. Apparently it’s only offensive when it’s a rich white chick.
It’s GERALDO for goodness sakes. Have we forgotten just WHO he is? WHAT he did for a living? What he STILL does?
Anyone looking for some semblance of moral propriety, conscience, or simple accord is fooling him/herself.
We’ll be lucky if we don’t see full aerials of her dead body in a few hours plastered all over the news.
And kudos to Scott for reminding us about the jumpers from 9/11, and the Americans whose bodies were torched, dragged, and hanged in Iraq. One of those 4 men was a family friend, so to see that one played over and over on Fox (surprise surprise) was upsetting to say the least, but it was what it was: A way to increase ratings.
That’s a very good point Scott and makes me think about why it didn’t come to mind when I wrote this. One of the reasons I may not have made the connection about seeing dead war victims is because I haven’t lived in the states in three years and don’t watch US television unless its on redlasso or youtube. That’s a lame excuse though and the truth is of course I can remember seeing dead nameless bombing victims. The fact that they didn’t come to mind when I wrote this shows that it’s something you become immune to. I think this is different though. In this case the victim was known though – her name was given, and her family is more likely to see it and that what makes it offensive. It’s also not a story about a bombing or about a war – it’s about her and “look at her face – now she’s dead.” To me that’s different than showing victims as part of a scene – they’re not zooming in on their faces for a minute or more.
Sounds like you are referring to the grotesque coverage of the contractors who were publicly killed and hanged in Fallujah. I remember just flicking on the tv and seeing it; they had pictures of charred bodies hanging. It was so disturbing and all I did was turn on the tv it was the first thing I saw. What was terrifying was that you could not even tell they were human forms at first (the mob had been that violent).
If I had been a family member that would have really been painful. But it seems morbid curiosity must be part of human nature or else why would the media keep working that angle? People are watching and will continue to watch.
Celebitchy, Thank you for your very kind and understanding words. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read what I had to say and understanding my message. I am glad I found your site a couple months ago and it has been my favorite ever since. 🙂
devilgirl, my post was intended to address this one topic, not the heinous lack of decency that has overtaken mainstream media. But for the record, I personally do not watch the news for that very reason. I read my news in print, and if a photo exploiting death is shown I throw it away or switch websites immediately. I would not have responded except for your comment “If it were someone in my family, well I think the fact that they were dead would far out weigh anything that I would see reported on tv.” Fortunately you have never had to live through the hell of losing a loved one violently as I (and millions of others) have, so I respectfully and honestly must say to you that you have no idea how you would feel. Do you really think grief is one-dimensional? There are so many torturous levels you go through when dealing with any death – but even moreso in an unnatural and violent death. Do you honestly believe that once a loved one passes under any cirmcumstances they are free game for any kind of exploitation or abuse and that the family won’t experience even more pain as a result??? You have a right to your opinions, and I agreed with most of them; but that statement came across as insensitive, ignorant, and personally offensive. As someone who has lived this experience I felt that I needed to set the record straight on a very inaccurate statement.
“I think this is different though. In this case the victim was known though – her name was given, and her family is more likely to see it and that what makes it offensive. ”
Just a small point here. Every victim is known by someone watching somewhere, whether their name is given or not so the potential to upset is the same. It reminds me of the BBC coverage of the recent earthquake in China where the following argument (in response to viewer outrage at the really upsetting coverage) was put forward by the BBC in defence of showing dead and dying victims:
“Viewers in the UK were unlikely to know the victims personally, thus were unlikely to be as upset as if they would have been had the earthquake happened in, say, London or Manchester.”
Spurious reasoning! And very swiftly torn apart and exposed for the nonsense it was. I think we’re all guilty of making distinctions without even realising it. I know I am.
Maybe I should watch the news more, because I am woefully – and probably willfully – naive. We do get CNN and BBC News, I just prefer to read the news online.
@Masquedance- you obviously missed one of my first posts which I mentioned a friend of mine who I witnessed shoot himself in the head right before my eyes. You think that I experienced no grief from that? Everyone deals with tragedy in their own and different ways. My thoughts were of the horror I experienced at the death of not only my friend, but of having to witness the whole grotesque and tragic event. Police and reporters came to the scene. I had little notice or care of what was going on around me, so I wasn’t concerned with the circus because my mind was occupied by the surreal event in which I found myself. Do not assume you know what tragedies have or haven’t happened in someones life, or how they would react. I feel for your tragedy as well as those of everyone else who has experienced a muder or suicide in their life. I also had a step brother, whom I was close with, murdered in Mexico City. He was beaten to death and found in a ditch outside the city after he had gone to the police station to find out about a friend of his he had reported missing. That was last place he was seen before someone noticed him in a ditch. My step father was so grief stricken he died 8 months later ( he and my mother were divorced) and to this day no one has been charged with my step brothers murder. It is speculated that the police killed him. Sorry for the long posts, but since I was public enemy on another thread relating to suicide for my lack of understanding, I have been active again on this one. I do understand tragic loss of life and I am sorry for others who have had it touch their lives as well.
Whatever happened to letting someone die in peace. Obviously this woman was not happy in life, she deserves some peace in death. Anyone who uses the death of another person for ratings or attention is a piece of crap.
The dead deserve respect just like the living. I wonder if any of the fox affiliates involved with the decision to show the aweful pictures would appreicate it if the tables were turned on them and it was their family member. My guess is the end result would not be appreciated. Some people need to keep the old saying in mind “treat people how you would like to be treated”.
Suicides have been known to spark more suicides. Death isn’t glamorous, it’s ugly and brutal. And it’s so breathtakingly final. If this helps one person to see the truth of it, and perhaps get help instead, I think it may be appropriate.
Death used to be something close to us in life. Now it is sanitized, sequestered off. Of course, we do have our media’s violence and gore showing constantly though.
Is suicide selfish? Objectively, yes. But when you feel and think that tomorrow will be as bad as today, as will all tomorrows after that, it can be viewed as the only way out. My therapist told me about a patient she had who would recline on the couch when she came in. Told her that it took all of her effort and energy just to breathe. Sad, very sad.
Faux News gets really excited when pretty white people die. They are bottom feeders of the lowest order. 👿
Maybe I’m desensitised, but I was neither shocked nor offended by the little peak I got of her face. I’ve seen burnt, mutilated bodies, children with missing limbs, people being set ablaze…so this is nothing in comparison. The only similarity is that she is human,and so are they.
My heart goes out to all her friends and family, but no more than it would for anyone else because she is as much a stranger to me as the thousands of dying Iraqis are.
devilgirl, You have my sincerest apology. I did miss your earlier post, and had I read it I would never have responded to your later post. I based my assumption that you didn’t have experience with such pain based on the words “If it were someone in my family…” and that was short-sighted of me. I can’t imagine what you went through watching someone kill themselves in such a horrible way. I was at least spared having to see the act happen. I understand your anger at being forced to see something like that, and admit that I too have experienced lots of anger over the years over my mother’s decision to end her life. My mother had fought a mental illness for years and I thought she was finally doing much better when I lost her. What I really wanted to get across was that media exploitation does add to the pain of the family, because that is very true in my case. I won’t go into details here about just how that happened with me, but it did add a whole different level of hell for me to deal with. Our situations are the same in some ways, and different in others. Everyone grieves in different ways, and I can certainly respect what you have said based on your experience. I am truly sorry for missing your first post. I also am very sorry about the loss of your stepbrother. I have never lost anyone to murder, but can imagine that it must be devastating and nearly impossible to overcome. Obviously this is a very sensitive subject for both of us and my heart goes out to you and everyone who has been hurt by violent deaths. Take care.
devilgirl: “Do you think the families of those people deserved to have those images shown repeatedly ? Were they necessary? ”
No, I don’t. I think it was disgusting and feel horrible for the families who’s loved ones were shown being terrorized in their last moments.
The basis of my comment spawned from your prior post as I interpreted it as a justification for this event based on prior events. To me it sounded like you were saying “well it’s happened before, so what’s the difference if it’s happening now?” I base that mainly on these two excerpts… “We may not like to see these images, we may not like them even more if they are someone we are close to, but that is life these days in our media rich world. ” and “If it were someone in my family, well I think the fact that they were dead would far out weigh anything that I would see reported on tv.”
I apologize for any misinterpretation, it is sometimes difficult to fully take in one’s point through simple text.
I find sooo alarming that people find that normal (the footage). Alarming and sad.
Thank you Bill and Masquedance, but apologies certainly aren’t necessary. I perhaps didn’t explain myself as well as I could have in the first place. I also appreciate your kind words regarding my situations. For the record, I think Geraldo et al are ratings seeking monsters, who pray for major catastrophies in order to cash in on the tragedies of others. I don’t like seeing even stories about mistreated animals. I think that society is to blame for these salacious reporters and their blood lust. We have allowed so much filth into our daily viewing lives, watching Springer, Faces of Death I-XX, when animals go bad, Amazing video’s etc, that this has only enabled and encouraged them to sensationalize their news bytes. Rarely do we se stories that have happy outcomes. Positive stories are boring to the masses, while the worse the event, the more viewers tune in. I apologize to anyone who has had to read my lengthy posts today on this thread, but I have very strong views on this particular topic. As shocking as the two events in my life were to me when they happened, in time I have been able to look at both situations for what they are: Tragic and irreversable (my step brother) Selfish and cruel (my friend). They have both enabled me to deal with tragic events as well as allowed me to help others struggling with similar events in their lives. I have to say the friends suicide was the worst, as I was 17 when it happened and the image stayed with me for years. I still deal with anger at how selfish he was to have done that to me, his brother and the four other teenagers who witnessed it. He was 20.
I am reminded of Gia for some reason. Why anyone aspire to be models I will never know. they are usally miserable and their lives are empty and end up just liek this little girl…man she was only 20 years old!
The number one profession for suicide is dentists. They just don’t make movies of the week about them.
aww bless her. hope she rests in peace. she’s so beautiful.
How sad! She is SO beautiful. She must have been in a lot of pain.
Gia had a very unhappy childhood. When she hit the modeling world she hit it by storm. The ride of her life, but it was full of sycophants and those making money and a name off her looks.
The wrong place to look for love. The fashion industry is brutal. Be it on the design side, the model side, the photographer side. Rejection is a daily thing. It can truly damage one’s psyche. A young girl has a hard enough time just being herself let alone survive in such an industry.
She was lovely and this was tragic. May her family find peace in such a time of great loss
unless he drew a map to her body Im not interested
Yes, it was cheese. It’s Geraldo. He’ll go down in the history books as a sleazeball. I’d rather see that coverage on liveleak.com when you expect to see it…only when you go looking for it. On a regular news broadcast-no way. She has a family & friends, for cryin’ out loud.
A little black cloud has been following me since this story broke. I can’t believe it. I Googled her this morning & came upon a site that was all model talk. She even had her own thread where people were posting comments & her pics. They cut the thread in April of this year but the thread started early 2005. You can see the comments getting cattier as time went on. Bitches saying she was too short, plain w/out makeup, etc. The thread diverts to a memorium page on that site. I was thinking…I hope this kid didn’t get all depressed over some catty bitch’s internet posting on this site & that led to her demise. She was only a kid & in a strange land. She was working & had guys chasing her so I wonder what lead to this. Let’s face it, there are tons of vicious losers on the internet & not every site has keen moderators like Celebitchy. Most sites, it’s the wild west. The bloggers don’t care about the small & petty crap on their sites. They just want #’s & a good graph reflection on Alexa.com.
Always sad when we lose a beauty b/c there aren’t any in Hollywood today. It would have been nice to see her try acting or something. So tragic.
As long as corporate media doesn’t show women’s nipples, or flag-draped coffins, it’s all a-okay, right?
Fuck. I really hate corporate media.
I think that this is just more Fox demmoralization. I am sorry but tact decorum and decency seem to have gone (pardon the pun) out the window. Its just not necessary. It is classless. And just because as Elisha said you get viewers for it does not make it alright. FOX wants to be considered reputable and then does this? Puhlease. Disgusting, gratuitous, unnecessary, vulgar, and demoralizing. And no, it certainly will not get me to watch that channel.
Masquedance, there’s a great documentary by Dempsey Rice called “Daughter of Suicide” about losing a mother to mental illness and the unique pain it causes.
I’d say with 90% certainty that it wasn’t suicide, it was murder. It’s a fact that no model would risk destroying her face like that. Most women slit their wrists when committing suicide. The signs were just not there, and these little diary entries they came up with sound very fake. How did they have them at the ready so fast? This feels like a big cover-up. I’d say she got in way over her head with some powerful and wealthy people.
It is actually sick watching her body on the ground. It reminds me of when Heath Ledger died and they shoved his body into the morgue van. I agree with an earlier poster that since she took her life in a very public place that it would be covered more but am I the only one who is disgusted that she could have potentially harmed people if they had been on the sidewalk below?
@ Sue – are you a firefighter or policewoman? You remind so much of someone I knew a long time ago. It’s eerie. The lady I met was Sue, she was super kind, straightforward, and an athlete…who worked in public safety. Weird!
@ Andrea – take a chill pill Judgy McJudgerson. I’m sure she looked before she leapt.
Most people who commit suicide don’t want to hurt anyone, some people even think killing themselves will make life better, less hurtful for the people they leave behind.
Until you’ve stood in their shoes (or high heels) please try and limit your self-righteousness. This was a young woman who was suffering intensely.
I am a little conflicted on this one. In other countries, Mexico comes to mind, it isn’t uncommon to show such images and even more graphic ones, on the evening news.
On the other hand, if I was her mother and had just heard the news hours ago (or maybe hasn’t heard it yet), I just don’t know what I’d do.
Prayers for her family and all those who knew her.
Just a comment in addition to the poster who said that there weren’t any college educated people here given that commiting suicide indicates a person isn’t of sound mind. I’d like to weigh in if I may.
Committing suicide does NOT mean you are of “unsound” mind necessarily. It means you are hurting really really badly. Some of the sanest people I’ve ever met have been suicidal. Personal pain and despair, whatever the causes, can make suicide seem to be the most rational choice to a person. It isn’t actually a mental illness to want to end your life to ‘step out of’ whatever pain a person may find themselves in. Pain is pain, it is an integral part of being human to want pain to end, whether physical or emotional.
There is a whole area of argument within psychology which says that suicide is not necessarily unjustifiable and that healthcare professionals must be careful to not minimise the pain people find themselves in, but acknowledge it and find ways through it.
The poor thing, you don’t have the experience at 20 to realise that it does get better and easier as you get older. My son is 20 and he feels things very intensely. I remember being that age and being very emotional at times… you feel very deeply but you think somewhat shallowly.
My thoughts and prayers are with her family…
This is reality. Everyone dies and hiding images of death only creates a false sense of reality. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying to display these things everywhere, but if it is news, so be it.
Everyone who thinks it is wrong to show pictures/videos of loved ones (family, friends) is entitled to their own opinions. Most of the time it is because that person doesn’t want to think about or see images of death because they don’t want to think about the end of their own life…because they are scared. I agree, it can be scary, but you can’t live life afraid of death.
I’m completely comfortable in knowing that I will die. It may be bloody and gross, but I’m not going to fool myself into thinking that everything is going to be clean and perfect. I take images, like the ones shown on Fox over the weekend, as a constant reminder that I have to make the most out of the time I have on earth. I’m not going to turn a blind eye to the harsh reality that my body won’t die. Bodies are not possessions and nobody owns anyone’s body. I am merely using my body while I am on earth.
I just have a hard time understanding why people expect the world to hide things they don’t want to see from them. There is nothing wrong in seeing a dead body. The U.S. is supposedly a free country, right? Then don’t try to tell us what we can and cannot see on the news. Television, just like life, is bittersweet….if you don’t like something, then don’t watch it.
I, like many others, have been touched by suicide. I lost a friend from school (shot himself), my friend’s dad (shot himself), one in the military (hung himself) and one failed attempt (he later died in a car accident). I also lost more than I can remember from unintentional means (illnesses, natural causes, accidents, etc.). I may sound unsympathetic, but I’m not going to waste my life in pain due to people dying around me. Instead, I choose to live and make the most of what I have left. I’m sure those who have already died did not want us to feel bad for the rest of our lives over something that will happen to us. We have a choice to live and, in a way, we have a choice to die however we wish. It is up to you to live the life you want.
I wish everyone the best in your journeys through life.
Andrea, that’s what happens when you die! You get shoved into a van or shoved into a freezer, or shoved where ever. You’re a corpse! Death is a real thing people, it’s not romantic, angels don’t fly down, give you a pair of wings, and lift you off to heaven. You’re a body to be dealt with, I find it so surprising that in the 21st century the human race are still in some sort of ridiculous denial about the reality of death.
I think I’m too late into this thread to have my point read, but here it goes. First, Masquerade and devilgirl, I’m so sorry for your horrific experiences. I can’t imagine…
Secondly, I think that the problem here is that now that image will be forever immortalized WITH her. People with be obsessed with her and have websites to her, etc, etc. Images of non-famous people don’t have that same kind of hold. Her family will NEVER be able to escape it. I mean certainly, they’ll never get over it, but one would hope that as time wears on, memories of her will outweigh memories of her death. But now, memories of her will be tied to that image forever.
Ultimately, devilgirl, I do agree with you that the media should have the right to do this, because I’m opposed to censorship. I just wish that the media would balance that right with responsibility and decency. I know, I know…too much to hope for.
@ Mike: you said “It’s a fact that no model would risk destroying her face like that. Most women slit their wrists when committing suicide.” Where on earth are you getting this information? That is beyond idiotic. 🙄
I miss her….
R.I.P ;( ;( ;(
love u 4-ever!
Thanks Fox news & Geraldo to flood back all of the memories of seeing a dead family member in the ER, after a suicide. Thanks to you Fox, I am now afraid to go to sleep ’cause you brought back all of the memories and bad dreams. Thanks, scumsuckers.
Wow…I agree the media has the right to cover any story it wishes to cover, but it should also have some respect for the dead and their families…
When Heath Ledger died they showed his body being rolled out on the stretcher… disrespectful monsters.
I agree were all going to die, my mother is a nurse for Hospice and often sees people at their worst and death isn’t pretty, kind or easy but for the love of fuck have some respect for the dead.
Well I can’t believe they showed it, but is this really a surprise?
And how is her body any different from the pictures of dead bodies they usually show on the news?
At least they didn’t actually “show her”. It looks like some idiot camera man left it there and must not have realized the sheet wasn’t covering her properly.
And I agree with others if she didn’t want anyone to see her she would not have jumped off her balcony onto a street in NYC! I mean nobody wants to see that. Think of the people who were just walking along, going about their day.
As someone else mentioned she obviously wanted to be “seen”. At least she didn’t resemble a typical fallen victim who lands face down. Which makes one wonder, isn’t is unusual that she ended up like that. Are they sure it wasn’t an accident?
Nan – there was a warning, you didn’t have to watch the video.
this is ridiculous. no fox shouldn’t have shown her like this, just as they shouldn’t show an endless parade of african american corpses on the show COPS (don’t know if that show is fox or someone else, but the producers of that show should have respect for the families of the deceased as well).
it’s strange the people they choose to show, and the people they don’t, when it comes to dead bodies. it seems middle class white people and kids are off limits, but anyone famous, african american, middle eastern (as in iraq etc.) or in terror attacks in israel and other locales, it’s perfectly fine to show them killed or dead, just as we all saw that that poor jamaican woman die slowly on the floor of the hospital the other night.
i don’t think anyone’s corpse, no matter the race, social standing or location should be shown on tv in such a disrespectful manner. and for those claiming this will prevent other girls from committing suicide – what bullshit. if they’re already suicidal, seeing this or not seeing this won’t sway them in any way. only them having faith in someone who cares enough and works with them through their feelings can really help them get through it. they don’t just see a corpse on tv, and think “gee, i’m not suicidal anymore. i’m cured!”
please. some of you really need a fucking clue, and step outside yourself and see the reality flying past your faces. most internet users must be teenagers themselves, most people see everything, no matter the content on the web as clear cut, as a joke, as something to be ridiculed or just for their crude entertainment.
if she was of sound mind, maybe she did have an agenda to be seen as she died, but no-one knows but her.
if she was out of her mind, whether people saw her or not would have been the last thing she was considering. she probably just snap decided and ran for it. on the other hand, she may have been helped over the edge. if anyone knows her history, and the background around a lot of these models, and the life that happens away from the cameras, especially with european models, it’s not so pretty, and very dangerous people are in control of these girls lives. closing the book so soon as a suicide could be the right decision but it could also be a very wrong one.
either way it’s a tragic thing, and something nobody and no family should ever have to go through.
Respect is a courtesy, not a requirement in our society. If Fox doesn’t show respect in your eyes, then don’t give them ratings by viewing. You can be upset that they are disrespectful to your values, but you can never demand respect from anyone or any company for that matter. The world is full of free choices and not every choice can please everyone. I don’t agree with some things, but I try my best to not allow the choices of others to get the best of me. The choices I make are what I hope others would do for me, but if they don’t I don’t get angry because I know that people have different views. Getting upset and/or angry about things that have already happened solves nothing. We all have the choice to learn from this and all other things that happen in life. One may make the choice to not view Fox news. Another may make the conscious effort to look for signs of suicide in those they love so they may deter them from doing something similar. I have yet to meet someone who feels good about getting angry and upset. I, for one, am doing my best at keeping my life full of happiness and I’ll be damned if something like this is going to ruin it for me….especially over Fox’s choice to broadcast this event.
Just so everyone knows, I’m not attacking anyone’s post. I am just reminding people that the world doesn’t always go as you plan. Life is full of surprises. Some things are not enjoyable, but if you can find the positives in life, then, in turn, you should feel happier. Sometimes, it is just doing something nice for someone else without expecting the same in return will bring you happiness. It works for me.
Everyone has opinions, but that is all they are…opinions. I know there are people that won’t agree or even understand my view on life, but one thing I do know as a fact is that everyone is entitled to an opinion. I just know that I can’t make everyone (or anyone for that matter) make choices on what I feel is the “right” thing to do according to my views.
I’m pretty neutral when it comes to opinions on morals and what is considered the “right” thing to do. I do agree that it is disrespectful for some, but I also understand that what is considered disrespectful for one person is not the same for another. I learned a long time ago that I just need to worry more about the things I choose to do, the reaction of those choices and less about the choices of others. I also learned that not everyone does that or even will…does that bother me? Not at all. And why? Because that is their choice.
Thanks for taking the time to read my opinions 🙂
i think its funny no one in america ever complains about there kids seeing images like this on TV but if a channel shows nudity parents freak out.images like these are what are harmful for kids to view.american ways of censorship are totally backwards.most other countries have it right, they are more keen on censoring gory images then anything else.
So…let me get this straight. In America, it’s ok for a “news” affiliate (and I use the term loosely) to show footage of someone dying on the sidewalk without repercussions, but when an entertainer just *happen* to show a hint of a nipple during a Superbowl show, there are threats, fines, the gnashing of teeth and people start burning effigies of the said entertainer?
OK, then. I’ve got it.
OMG, Iam so sad after reading this and the comments. So sad.
Since I don’t have the time to read all of the comments, I will say this: I know that there are some who are left behind after a person kills themselves who feel that the person was selfish, but keep in mind that there may be some severe issues that the person couldn’t handle which may have led to the decision. When I was a teenager, gory pictures of other people’s suicides would’ve only served to deter me from the more violent forms, but not from trying to take my life. Depression is something I still struggle with to this day with suicide being a real issue that rears its ugly head from time to time. I have sympathy for the victims who have to endure after someone has made that choice, but when I was at my worst these things would not have been in mind (being able to convince yourself that everyone else would be “better off without you” tends to make the decision more rational in an irrational mind). As it is, my primary motivation for living is for others because it helps to distract me from occasionally feeling like hell on the inside. If I didn’t have that distraction, I probably would not be here today. Suicide doesn’t make sense. People who have committed to killing themselves are not easily swayed by sentiment or by arguments that “things will get better”. This suicide may help to get those who are in the cry for help phase of suicide to think twice, but I don’t think this will affect those who are so lost that they see no way out.
To “Devilgirl”: I agree 100% with your posts! I admit I was shocked to read the headline of Ruslana’s suicide (she was beautiful and had a future here), I agree that she must have wanted attention or she wouldn’t have killed herself in the very public way she did. Also, I have thought the very same thing – the same people that shell out $8-$10 a pop to see a violent movie at the theatre are now acting “appalled” at Fox News for showing footage of Ruslana on the sidewalk! I didn’t think the footage of her was actually that “graphic”; for somebody that fell 9 stories, I thought she would have looked much worse. There are TV shows, war footage, even cartoons, that are worse than that footage.
when my dad committed a suicide 10 years ago i was asked by the police if i wanted to see the pictures of the scene,i started shaking and crying and said NO,was enough to see my lovely father dead,the pain is just so big 🙁 🙁 🙁 .How could they show images like this of the poor girl??what about her family!!!God,this people are shameless!I have no words and i don´t want to see them,have some RESPECT ❗
I still don’t understand why everyone’s assuming this gorgeous young woman committed suicide! Just because there were “no signs of a struggle doesn’t mean that she wasn’t pushed. If she DID take her own life, God rest her soul … She must have been in a lot of pain to do such a selfish thing and destroy her family, friends and loved ones. Surely they are crushed by what has happened. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
Doesn’t seem like a suicide to me. That’s just a gut feeling. The story’s faded from American headlines, but papers overseas apparently are talking about this a lot, and people, especially RK’s mom, want the police to investigate her death. The police immediately thought Adrienne Shelley had killed herself, until they actually did some POLICE WORK at the urging of her husband and found her murderer.
Seems that the police were too quick to reach their conclusion. I guess it’s easier to rule something a suicide than first investigate the possibilities that people have mentioned (mafia, professional problems, etc).
Aside from all that, it might very well have been the act of someone who was suffering emotionally. I know this feeling. I’ve been dealing with my own suicidal feelings for a long time. I was RK’s age when I first tried to kill myself. In my case, nothing was going right in my life–things were collapsing around me. That was years ago, but I’m still suffering a lot, my whole existence feels nightmarish. Things have gotten worse, not better. Everyone has told me things would get better, but they haven’t.
I guess I’m saying all this because it’s so very easy to have this kind of inexplicable pain in your life, especially with no support system, with patterns of things never going right and being too defeated or tired to make things better.
RK had a lot going for her, was young and beautiful, etc. Suicide may seem selfish to some, but it’s an act of escape when the pain is too much. People who judge suicide are actually fortunate in that they cannot imagine this kind of pain.
In any case, the police need to investigate her death, because if she were murdered, who knows who else in a similar situation might be in danger.
dog grooming may be the specialty of my sister, she truly loves grooming every dog in our house**