{"id":13703,"date":"2013-03-12T16:59:10","date_gmt":"2013-03-12T23:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=13703"},"modified":"2019-04-06T12:28:35","modified_gmt":"2019-04-06T18:28:35","slug":"everest-2103-the-ethics-of-everest-reporting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/12\/everest-2103-the-ethics-of-everest-reporting\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2013: The Ethics of Everest Reporting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Juniper<\/a>Some teams are leaving home this week for Kathmandu to start their journeys hoping to reach the top of the world in mid May.<\/p>\n

This will mark my 12th year of either climbing or covering Everest on my website. Each year, I begin to get the same nervous feelings of excitement and uncertainty about what the season will bring.<\/p>\n

As I report on Everest, cheap I feel a strong responsibility to be accurate, sensitive and informative.<\/p>\n

My coverage is based on my own experiences, research, sources, and public information. I try to provide insight and interpretation of the activities ranging from routes to weather to the challenge of climbing Everest.<\/p>\n

If I have learned anything over the years, it is that information on Everest is filled with inaccuracies, spin and exaggeration. There are those who write about Everest to amplify the drama if for no other reason. There are those who cover it to sell newspapers, website hits, gear or other reasons.<\/p>\n

For me, I cover Everest due to my deep feelings of respect, admiration and wonderment of the mountain, the Sherpas and the climbers themselves. But also I use my coverage to hopefully get you to read my articles and then, by chance, learn something about Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

If you really like my coverage, then maybe make a donation to one of the non-profits I work with – nothing ever goes to me. At the end of each post is a short fact about this disease that took my mom, two aunts and impacts over 36 million worldwide.<\/p>\n

My Personal Experiences with Death on the Mountain<\/h3>\n

My teammate rushing down hill blurted out \u201cAlex has died\u201d and with that I learned that one of my teammates on Cho Oyu in 1998 had died in his sleep at camp 3 after his successful summit. The next morning I helped wrap him in his sleeping bag, drag him over to the crevasse edge and, after a brief ceremony, let his body fall gently into an abyss of ice and snow.<\/p>\n

My wife, back home in Switzerland where we lived in 1998, saw a short text across the television screen \u201c42 year-old man from Geneva area dies on Cho Oyu.\u201d It shook her to her core as I matched the description perfectly; except she didn\u2019t know if I was alive or dead.<\/p>\n

Unable to access a sat phone, I was not able to contact her for days to assure her I was safe. For her to be in suspense was beyond unfair.<\/p>\n

In 2011, I was in my tent at Everest Base Camp when I heard loud, yet hushed voices. I knew something had gone wrong. One of my teammates had collapsed just below Camp 3. Climbers, Sherpas and guides from many organizations rushed to his aid. Drugs and oxygen were applied. Doctors, who were climbers, gave assistance. But my teammate died. Our expedition was devastated.<\/p>\n

In contrast to 2008, I was able to call my wife immediately using my satellite phone to let her know I was safe before she saw the news.<\/p>\n

These incidents have shaped the way I cover death on mountains.<\/p>\n

The Official Process<\/h3>\n

When a death occurs on Everest, the standard procedure is for the leader of the expedition (as noted on the permit) to report the incident to their Nepalese or Chinese Liaison Officer. That individual then files a report with their respective mountaineering\/government agencies. At that point a press release is sometimes, but not always issued.\u00a0 Embassies are a great asset to families for repatriation, information and support. This process can takes days or even weeks so obviously, the news leaks out much faster.<\/p>\n

Reporting Death<\/h3>\n

Sadly each year, there are deaths on Everest. While I have written recently about how it has become safer statistically, people still die every year. Unfortunately 2013 will not be any different. In spite of better gear, warmer clothes, more Sherpas, more oxygen; mistakes will be made. The weather will present big surprises and some will lose their life.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of deaths will be preventable. Climbers needed to turn back sooner, wait out bad weather or listen to their bodies as the warning signs emerged. For some they should have gained more experience before attempting Everest or selected a different guide service.<\/p>\n

With everyone on modern climbs having sat phones, cell phones or internet access, news of an accident travels fast \u2013 too fast. And on the mountain, it travels even faster; well at least rumors do. This instant information creates an environment where some people try to break the news first for whatever reason, and others pass on unconfirmed rumors. While often done in the spirit of trying to be helpful, it often does the opposite.<\/p>\n

When a death occurs, I follow a strict protocol. My first thoughts are for the family, then the teammates and finally the public. My policy is not to comment until I have a first hand witness report and preferably more than one report that confirms the story then not to report names until it is clear the family has had an opportunity to be notified.<\/p>\n

I only pass on what I know and do not speculate. I never place blame or speculate about the cause of death. I struggle with each report of a death. Sometimes all the facts do not come out for months.<\/p>\n

The Headline Stampede<\/h3>\n

The expedition leader usually takes the responsibility to notify the family. But this is where the rumor mill gets in the way. An incident occurs, someone posts on Facebook, Twitter or their blog some vague facts in an effort to reassure their own family or followers that they are safe. But once the word \u201cdeath\u201d and \u201cEverest\u201d are put together, it seems everyone notices.<\/p>\n

The mainstream press calls their sources, even climbers on the mountain who may even be on the opposite side. Comments are made, speculation ensues; families are terrified.<\/p>\n

There is no stopping this machine in this era of instant information and the insatiable desire to publicize mountaineering accidents.<\/p>\n

In 2012, when six climbers died over a weekend on both sides, I received calls from many media sources. I was glad to help by telling what I knew, not speculate and try to help communicate accurate information about this incident, mountaineering in general and Everest.<\/p>\n

It was a mixed experience, some outlets were interested in reporting only the facts as anyone knew, but others had a prewritten headline about irresponsible climbers, guides, selfishness acts and the spoils of the rich and famous. No amount of words, or facts, could stop this single objective. Journalism had been reduced to sensationalism. It reminded me of the old adage \u201cIf it bleeds, it leads.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shouldn\u2019t be surprised as this same cycle that occurs on a daily basis covering car accidents, the horrors of war or the antics of politicians.<\/p>\n

Privacy or Cover-Up<\/h3>\n

Operators struggle with deaths. Observers often don\u2019t understand the reality of death in the mountains and families struggle to cope with the devastation; desperately seeing answers.<\/p>\n

Their first priority is to notify the family. What is often not known is that the family may ask an operator not to make a public announcement. They may decide to manage their loss in private. The operator has an obligation to honor this request even if gives the appearance of a cover-up.<\/p>\n

The press wants to play the blame game, even if it is on the climber themselves. And of course we live in a litigious society thus saying nothing is almost always better than saying something.<\/p>\n

So confusion ensues.<\/p>\n

I believe a simple statement acknowledging the event is always in order and helpful for all involved. It allows teammates to move on, operators to maintain transparency and families to receive support.<\/p>\n

2013<\/h3>\n

For 2013, I will strive to bring you the story of Everest in the most accurate manner possible with respect to all involved. I will try to take you inside the climber\u2019s thinking as I look at their experiences through my eyes after climbing Everest four times.<\/p>\n

I will not tell you what I think you want to hear. I will not increase the drama on what is already one of the reality shows on earth. I will not get everything 100% right, but you have my commitment to do my .<\/p>\n

Be safe fellow climbers. Families stay tuned but don\u2019t believe everything you read.<\/p>\n

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some teams are leaving home this week for Kathmandu to start their journeys hoping to reach the top of the world in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[147,214,81,545],"tags":[448,455],"class_list":["post-13703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everest","category-everest-2013-coverage","category-everest-news","category-weekend-update","tag-everest","tag-everest-2013-coverage"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13703\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}