CNN apologized and pulled its report after its reporter entered the site of a nursery massacre in Thailand, The Guardian reports.
A former police officer shot and stabbed dozens of people, mostly young children, at a nursery in Uthai Sawan last week.
The ex-cop then shot at bystanders from his car and returned home, where he shot his wife, child and himself.
Thirty-seven people were killed in the attack.
CNN aired a report showing the blood-stained floor of the nursery, sparking a police investigation into whether the reporter entered without authorization.
Police determined that the crew did not intend to trespass but were fined for working while on a tourist visa.
CNN apologizes:
CNN issued an apology and pulled its report after it was condemned by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand and the Thai Journalists Association.
“Would one of their crews have behaved in the same way at a serious crime scene in the United States?” the Correspondents’ Club questioned in a statement.
“We deeply regret any distress or offence our report may have caused, and for any inconvenience to the Thai police at such a distressing time for the country,” CNN said in a statement.
The network said the team entered the building to “gain a fuller impression of what transpired inside and to humanise the scale of the tragedy.”
Condemnation:
Images of the crew climbing over a wall and police tape to exit the nursery went viral on social media and media organizations said that journalists had been barred from the area. CNN claimed that the tape was not present when they crew entered and said they had gotten permission from the Health Department.
Danaichok Boonsom, director at the Office of Uthai Sawan Municipality, filed a complaint against the network.
“I want them to be respectful to us. They should not do whatever they want to do or only think about getting their ratings,” he said. “Why do they have to do this? What is it for?”
