US BROADCASTER ABC News has suspended one of its senior journalist over his reporting of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash on Sunday.
Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash, along with nine other people, including his daughter Gianna ‘Gigi’ Bryant.
The news was first broke by entertainment website TMZ and was quickly picked up by news outlets across the world.
Matt Gutman, ABC’s chief national correspondent, in his coverage of the accident reported that all four of Bryant’s children were killed.
It sparked immediate outrage across social media over concerns that Bryant’s family and friends might not have known who was involved in the accident yet.
The news outlet has since suspended Gutman and released a statement to CNN Business saying the reporting did not meet the station’s standards.
“Reporting the facts accurately is the cornerstone of our journalism,” it said.
“As he acknowledged on Sunday, Matt Gutman’s initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards.”
Gutman also released a statement apologising for the piece saying “We are in the business of holding people accountable. And I hold myself accountable for a terrible mistake, which I deeply regret.”
“I want to personally apologize to the Bryant family for this wrenching loss and any additional anguish my report caused.
Gutman has been working with ABC news for 12 years and features across its daily schedules.
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