ABC News has suspended anchor Matt Gutman for falsely reporting that all four of Kobe Bryant’s daughters perished in the helicopter crash that killed the NBA legend, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others.
According to the Los Angeles Times, during ABC News’ coverage of the crash, Gutman speculated on the air that all Bryant’s daughters were in the helicopter when it went down, which turned out not to be the case.
Gutman later apologized for the error on Twitter:
On Wednesday, ABC News confirmed that Gutman had been suspended for jumping the gun when he should have stuck to the facts at hand.
“Reporting the facts accurately is the cornerstone of our journalism,” an ABC News spokesperson told the Times in a statement. “As he acknowledged on Sunday, Matt Gutman’s initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards.”
Gutman also issued another apology, offering his own statement to the Los Angeles Times. “We are in the business of holding people accountable,” Gutman said. “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.”
