Ice hockey star and brother killed while cycling by suspected drink driver who allegedly had “five to six beers” before fatally striking cyclists from behind as he tried to undertake another motorist

Cayo wrote:

The BBC have finally changed the article title to "NHL star Gaudreau and brother killed in bike and car crash". Better, but still ignoring they were killed by a drunk driver. Granted, they can't call him guilty before a trial, but the police have said he failed a test, so I see no reason why they can't say he was drunk in the title. As for the article contents, it still says, "killed in a car accident", so they still have it wrong. 😡 Do they really not understand (or care) why that is so offensive?

Must have been my complaint to them on Saturday.

I don't see a problem with not declaring that the driver may have been drunk. Yes, the driver may well have failed a test, but it's possible (though unlikely) that the test may be faulty or that the driver may have been secretly intoxicated (there have been a couple of instances where the gut bacteria start fermenting food and making alcohol - not likely, but it is possible). It's best for reporters to stick the known facts, so saying that the driver failed a drink test is fine, but to judge them as "drunk" is an opinion.

And yes, they should have changed the article content too. My complaint didn't focus just on the headline:

HawkinsPeter complaint wrote:

The use of "accident" is deliberately misleading

This "article" (or should that be opinion piece?) misuses the term "accident" to describe a road traffic collision. This goes against all reporting guidelines on road traffic collisions (RTCs) such as the guidelines here: https://www.rc-rg.com/guidelines

The "article" has caused considerable offence by implying that there was nothing that the driver could have done to avoid the collision, despite the fact that it was clearly caused by incredibly poor driving (hitting cyclists from behind can have no other cause) and also that the driver is believed to have been driving under the influence of alcohol which is known to lead to collisions and deaths of other people.

The BBC has a clear motonormative agenda and whenever cyclists are hit, injured or killed, the articles never focus on the clear lessons that drivers must take more care, but instead describe collisions as some kind of unavoidable tragedy.

Disgusting. 

hawkinspeter wrote:

... but it's possible (though unlikely) that the test may be faulty or that the driver may have been secretly intoxicated... It's best for reporters to stick the known facts, so saying that the driver failed a drink test is fine, but to judge them as "drunk" is an opinion.

Fair comment, I may have been guilty of 'lazy opinionating' there. What I meant was that they should have acknowledged the failed test in the headline. You're right that the word 'drunk' would be potentially wrong in the future. Not that it's stopped the BBC and others using questionable headlines as click bait before. They also failed to mention the alleged undertake which led to the 'accident'.

I've been very much a pro-BBC person over the years but even I have reached the point where I don't see the justification for a licence model (different conversation there) and lament the drop in journalistic standards over the last few years. Even the number of articles with typos is ridiculous now. And that's before mentioning the number of social media style 'news stories' such as "Look what happened when..." or "I was... until I..."

It's neither an "accident'' nor an "unimaginable tragedy.'' It's a homicide.

And blaming alcohol is the usual U.S. cop-out for avoiding the bigger issue in this country: aggressive driving. It's widely tolerated in a country where motorists have been for decades coddled with the idea that travel by motor vehicle should always be easier and faster.

An undertake as described in this case would be standard practice for a U.S. driver - drunk or sober - who thought another driver was trying to "impede'' his need to get from point A to point B as fast as possible.

It's what making riding on U.S. roads so dangerous. And if the diver had been sober and stayed at the scene, he might well have gotten off with a slap on the wrist, if that, for killing two cyclists.

See U.S. football coach Greg Knapp and the driver who killed him: https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2021/09/23/no-criminal-charges-pur...

Or the case of Pedro Quintana-Lujan who ran head on into a group of 20 cyclists killing two and injuring 17, some seriously: https://www.azfamily.com/2023/11/30/suspect-deadly-goodyear-cycling-cras...

There is, amazingly, even more tolerance for bad driving in the U.S. than in the UK. 

While I agree with most of your points, to state that such an undertaking maneuver is standard practice in the U.S. is blatantly false.  The vast majority of drivers would never attempt this.  Although they do make their presence felt quite disproportionately, overly aggressive and reckless drivers make up a small percentage of all drivers.  These drivers are just as dangerous as drunk drivers and should be treated in the same manner.  I whole heartedly agree that the tolerance for injuring or killing cyclists in this country is apalling and the lack of consideration for any non-autmotive road users is a major problem.  Also, yes it's not an accident, but it is certainly a tragedy and can be called such while also being treated as homicide.  

Complaint made, thanks

Despite, what we know to be several complaints, including my own, nearly 2 days after the article was published they still haven't changed it. This should be the simplest complaint that they have to deal with, if they actually gave a f**k.
The Guardian thankfully know what the guidelines say. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/30/johnny-matthew-gau...

IanMK wrote:

Despite, what we know to be several complaints, including my own, nearly 2 days after the article was published they still haven't changed it. This should be the simplest complaint that they have to deal with, if they actually gave a f**k. The Guardian thankfully know what the guidelines say. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/30/johnny-matthew-gau...

I don't like the Graundia's headline though as they imply that the (autonomous?) car was doing the hitting. I think it should be "Columbus Blue Jackets’ Johnny Gaudreau and brother killed when bicycles hit by car driver"

In my experience of BBC complaints, they wait at least a couple of weeks before either dismissing it or making a small change to the article that no-one will ever see (no longer "news").

hawkinspeter]<p>[quote=IanMK wrote:

In my experience of BBC complaints, they wait at least a couple of weeks before either dismissing it or making a small change to the article that no-one will ever see (no longer "news").

And yet when I complained to them that they'd called then Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane "Harry Kane" 🙄, they corrected the article within an hour. If only they were so keen to do so now.

Clem Fandango wrote:

That's a f*cking tragedy. Great player.

I actually just created a post in the forum before realising this had been posted. Absolutely disgusting waste of life and a terrible thing to happen ahead of what should have been the happiest of family moments.

I'm an NHL fan and hockey player myself.

The BBC News article uses the word 'accident' in both its headline and article body. Shameful in itself. 😡

Cayo wrote:

The BBC News article uses the word 'accident' in both its headline and article body. Shameful in itself. 😡

Was the accident chugging half a dozen beers, climbing into his compensatory truck (penis size, personality, IQ... Take your pick what he's making up for), or switching on the ignition?
Everything after that point is felony and he holds full culpability.