July 5, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Part 2 of Chris Benoit double murder-suicide coverage

The murders of Nancy and Daniel Benoit and the suicide death of Chris Benoit continued to be major news, particularly on the U.S. and Canada television news channels, all week.

There were many different facets of the story. There has never been any story having to do with pro wrestling in its history that has garnered this degree of mainstream coverage. I never expected anything would approach the death of Owen Hart in 1999, and the election of Jesse Ventura as Governor of Minnesota in 1998 for national mainstream coverage of pro wrestling, but who could have ever expected anything of this nature? For those in wrestling it was even more shocking because of the person perpetrating the crimes.

It would be easy to decry all the coverage, but the truth is, most has been fair. It’s just that the highest profile coverage that most people have seen, on the television news channels, where the death of the Benoit family was used as ratings fodder just underneath Paris Hilton’s latest escapades of coming out of jail and her performance on Larry King.

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