Proper usage: Unknown vs. Not Available

[Central-KY-Kid]

During a big local festival Saturday, a local man was hit and killed by a train. I say local because the initial release from the local PD said he was from our town. However, the local paper and radio stations weere saying his identity was "still unknown" in followup stories Sunday night.

Obviously the PD said he was local and PD said it is still trying to find next of kin, so that should be "not available (to media)" instead of "unknown," correct?

Also, when prep teams submit stats and don't give player names (parent stat keeper will enter Player A or 21, for example), the local paper tends to use "unknown" when printing said stats to complete the stat box. Again, that would be "not available" instead of "unknown" because the opposing team knew the player's name or players' names, yes?

 

[Spartan Squad]

Not available is certainly better than unknown because as you did the name is known by authorities just not available to the media. I prefer, however, "police withheld the name" or "the victim's identity was not disclosed" just because it answers two questions in one quick phrase: No the police didn't release the name and yes we asked them. It makes the reader/viewer aware that the reason for not having the name is because the police didn't give it not because the media couldn't get it. Sadly in the age of social media where often the family is aware of a tragedy, the name is available quickly and people don't understand why reporters aren't disclosing what they know.

As for the players' names, not available is again better it is also more polite than your alternative (and slightly more accurate) name not given/provided. Again it lets your reader/viewer know you received incomplete information not that you forgot to ask. But using not available isn't going to hurt anything.

My other favorite as pointed out by a college professor, the media tends to use "died suddenly" when they mean "died unexpectedly." As he put it, the transition from life to death is always sudden: One moment you're alive and the next you're not. What you really mean is the death was not one you saw coming because it wasn't by some lingering illness nor was the person old.