“The Bratayleys,” a stage name for the super-viral middle-class Maryland version of the Kardashians, recently suffered the horrid loss of their 13-year-old YouTube star son, Caleb. They’d asked that we respect the family’s privacy for the time being—oh, and make sure to tune in to the dead teen’s memorial!

Yesterday, after posting an article about Caleb’s sudden and still-unexplained death, I received an email from a PR VP who works on behalf of Disney’s Maker Studio, a YouTube video production and distribution hub:

Hi Sam,

I saw your post about the tragic death of Caleb who is featured on the YouTube channel Bratayley. On background, the family has been extremely careful since starting their channel to NOT share their last name or location publicly. Your statements regarding where they may live and what fans are stating their last name may be eliminates their privacy, which feels extremely insensitive at this time. We ask that you delete these references in your story as a courtesy to a grieving family.

Thanks, Brittany

— BRITTANY GELDMACHER Vice President, Brand Strategy & Communications | MarCom

(Just as an aside, cold-emailing someone with information that’s “on background” is a meaningless PR feint.)

We chose to publish the family’s reported last name because it’s typical to publish the name of someone who has died when the news story is about the fact that they have died. It’s also at odds for a family that has shared video footage of their children’s every step in life for an audience of strangers in exchange for money to suddenly demand privacy.

I received the email on Monday; the following announcement was made Twitter on Tuesday. I’ve never lost (or had) a child, so I can’t speak to what may or may not provide comfort for a grieving family. I hope this will. But it also seems at the very least inconsistent with the desire for privacy in a time of tragedy:

Please respect the fact that our son died. Also, check out his lifeless body being put into the Earth via Periscope.

Contact the author at biddle@gawker.com.
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