It's easy to argue that in the vast majority of news the identity of the accused is similarly not needed.

However the reality we see is that the News doesn't think so. So what, in this case, is different?

We're not even at the stage where there is an "accused", that's the point. Similarly, the names of the pilots that guided the ship haven't been released - they are equally good candidates to be blamed without further knowledge. None of the involved parties has a particular interest in making it about the persons, and if media found it then what? "Here's a name of a dude nobody ever heard of, and we can't tell you anything about him or what he has done"?

Or look at the reporting about the airliner that crashed in Indonesia earlier this year: While the pilots name is public knowledge, its also not really been part of the reporting because it's not especially relevant yet and there is nothing interesting to say about them. (Apparently the voice recorder has been found, so if there is anything interesting on there expect that to change)

Nothing really - printing the name of a murderer, say, is a trade-off between the public's right to know and the person's right to privacy. Simply speaking: Also assumed murderers, say, are humans and have rights.

Different countries/societies choose this trade-off differently.