In Spider-Man: No Way Home, how come Sandman was aware of one specific detail of this event?

Question

In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), at some point in the movie, the following conversation happens (emphasis mine):

Dr. Octopus: You died Norman, years ago.
Green Goblin: You're insane.
Electro: God, I love it.
Spider-Man: What are you talking about? He's standing right there, he's not-
Sandman: Dead. They both died, fighting Spider-Man. It was all over the news. Green Goblin, impaled by the glider you flew around on, and a couple of years later, you, Doc Ock, drowned in the river with your machine.

However, in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, the detail about Norman being impaled by his own glider was hidden from the public, which is the reason why Harry Osborn believed Spider-Man killed his father all this time.

It's only by the end of the 3rd movie that he learned the truth:

Bernard Houseman: If I may, sir, I have seen things in this house I have never spoken of.
Harry Osborn: What are you trying to tell me?
Bernard Houseman: The night your father died, I cleaned his wound. The blade that pierced his body came from his glider. I know you're trying to defend your father's honor, but there's no question that he died by his own hand.

Seeing that this detail of Norman Osborn's death was kept a secret by Peter and the butler, how come Sandman could say it was all over the news?

Answer 1

I think the best sense we can make out of this is to assume that Norman's death-by-glider was, in fact, reported at the time of his death.

While Butler McButlerson does say "I have seen things in this house I have never spoken of", he doesn't specifically say "No-one else knew what Norman's stab wound looked like but me!" Which makes sense — we can assume that after such a high-profile businessman died, an autopsy would have been carried out, which would have revealed what was presumably a fairly distinctive double stab wound matching the Goblin glider, and that public interest was such that this would have been reported.

The wound alone isn't really conclusive either way. Spider-Man could have stabbed Norman with his own glider. Harry doesn't really blame Spider-Man because of a factual misunderstanding. He blames Spider-Man because he's angry, and it's easier to be angry at a costumed stranger, and then at his ex-best-friend, than it is to be angry at his dad.

It seems like the butler is trying to convince Harry by gently, but firmly, reminding him that his dad was thoroughly and obviously cuckoo for Coco Puffs, in a violent and vindictive way. Rather than revealing a magic factual secret that will immediately change Harry's mind, he's restating the details of Norman's injury (perhaps to remind Harry of his close familiarity with everything that happened); then stating his opinion that, given everything else he saw in the house during Norman's descent into madness, he believes Norman stabbed himself, and Spider-Man ultimately isn't to blame for his death.

Answer 2

Octavius only mentions that "Norman" died. "Flint says "It was all over the news. Green Goblin, impaled by the glider he flew around on. And a couple of years later... you. Doc Ock, drowned in the river with your machine." With Harry dying from a similar wound as his father, the news could have reported the connection when mentioning Harry's death.