They don't have that info the day of a plane crash -- it requires the airline to release the list of victims, and then the families to release any photos on req

They don't have that info the day of a plane crash -- it requires the airline to release the list of victims, and then the families to release any photos on request, which is what you sometimes see several days later when a news org takes the time to collect the photos and stories. But that doesn't happen with all mass casualty incidents. Not just because it's resource-intensive, but because the news cycle moves so fast. We've just learned the names/ages of the 11 killed in the Pittsburgh shooting. How many people remember any of the names of the people who died 3 weeks ago in what was the U.S. worst transportation accident in a decade? Same-day and day-after coverage is typically when most people are most focused on any given tragedy, and images are often what stays in people's memories. A photo of disaster workers picking up pieces of metal doesn't convey much of the human tragedy at all.