Marine Corps and Fox News Clash Over False Gold Star Family Story
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Fox News recently caused a stir when it reported falsely that a Gold Star family had been forced to pay $60,000 to transport the remains of a Marine slain in Afghanistan, prompting the Marine Corps to engage in a behind-the-scenes dispute with the news network. The Marine Corps attempts to alter the story, and the network's subsequent activities are revealed in email exchanges acquired via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
After visiting with the relatives of the victims of the Abbey Gate bombing, Republican Representative Cory Mills stated that the family of slain Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee was charged a large sum to transfer her remains. In 2021, 13 service members were killed in a suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport. The Marine Corps swiftly alerted Fox News of the error, and Gee's family never paid anything to transfer her remains.
A representative for the Marine Corps disputed Fox News' version of events in a series of emails, accusing the network of using the tragedy of a Gold Star family to boost ratings. Fox News changed the title and some of the report's substance as requested by the Marine Corps, but they did not apologize to the Gee family.
When the policy change at the Pentagon occurred, the initial Fox News headline read, "Family forced to pay to move corpse of Marine murdered." The first version of the title used the word "forced," but over time, it was changed to reflect the current meaning of the article. However, Fox News did not withdraw its original report, issue an apology, or provide a public explanation as requested by the Marine Corps.
According to emails sent back and forth between the Marine Corps and Fox News, the latter felt the former had unfairly painted the former as disregarding the needs of deceased Marines. In an email, the official Marine Corps spokesman, Major James Stenger, vented his frustrations at the media's use of a grieving family's tragedy for clickbait.
Fox News was criticized for posting the story without checking with Gee's family or the Marine Corps. The network did not immediately contact Gee's family or the Marine Corps for clarification; a comment was appended after the original posting.
While online criticism over the perceived wrongdoing persisted, Fox News withdrew the item without explanation. After the Fox News link stopped working, Representative Mills removed the article from his website.
A protocol at the Pentagon requires families to pay for funeral transportation up front and be reimbursed later, which was the basis for the initial narrative. Still, the group Honoring Our Fallen stepped in with a private jet contribution to take Gee's remains to Arlington National Cemetery. The charity stepped in before the refund procedure began, so the family didn't have to worry about any costs.
Gee's mother-in-law, Christy Shamblin, expressed her concerns about the difficulties of the transportation strategy to Rep. Mills' staff. She spoke highly of the Marine Corps' transparency and honesty in making things right.
As the situation develops, concerns about responsible reporting and the importance of facts remain. The conflict illustrates the difficulty of reporting sensitive issues and the possible fallout of inaccurate coverage, particularly when memorializing military men who have died in the line of duty.
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