Show I I r Throwing a flag on the Taylor coverage I Deborah Howell Hovell The Wa Washington h Post Never speak ill of the dead This maxim does docs not e exist in the news news business I That was was shown in the aftermath of the fatal shooting last week of Washington Redskins safety Sean T Taylor It was huge news and brought huge howls from hundreds of Redskins fans upset by the initial Post online commentary Hearing criticism of Taylor as ashe ashe ashe he was fighting for his life and immediately after he died struck readers as insensitive Taylors Taylor's death had all the elements of tragedy A young Pro All-Pro safety who some say sayI f I was the Redskins' Redskins best player was shot in his own home with his fiancee and daughter nearby Taylor was known not just for his ability on the football field but also for trouble with the law his team and the NFL Several Redskins players and officials said he had turned around his life after the birth of his daughter 18 months ago The issue was timing As unfeeling as it sounds it is just not in the nature of the news business for critical comment to be withheld until the body is in the ground But in this case it would not have hurt good journalism to have on harsh commentary until the next day That would have let the i news sink in for readers I Ii Emilio Ruiz Garcia-Ruiz assistant managing editor for sports an anJim and Jim Brady executive editor dont don't agree Based on the Web site traffic they get we cant can't overplay the Redskins Brady said If you look at the audience this story attracted we could have done even more Another reason that readers were attracted to the coverage was as Ruiz Garcia-Ruiz said Nobody really knew Taylor He didn't give interviews to to the the H He ii WI press e was an enigma Post coverage of his dea death n. n made him better known to j I readers than he ever was in life ife u x J I |