Media loves doing that for the drama. When my dad was killed the local media wanted to interview me. i finally decided on a press conference to get it over with. I told myself that I would not give these people the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Of course the media spun it to say I was "unusually controlled" with my emotions.
First local media that contacted me in a similar situation would have received a 5-minute stream of the vilest profanity in the history of the universe.