‘We deeply regret any distress or offense our report may have caused,’ says senior executive of CNN
ANKARA: Thailand will deport two CNN journalists who reported without permission from inside a day care facility, where at least 38 people, including 22 children, were massacred last Thursday, local media reported on Monday.
CNN came under fire after Australian reporter Anna Coren and British cameraman Daniel Hodge filmed footage on Friday – which has since been taken down – of the blood-stained floor inside the day care center. They were accused of climbing over police tape to get their footage.
Citing Thai migration sources, Thaipbsworld news outlet reported that the journalists entered the country on tourist visa which would not allow them to work.
The sources added that the reporters will not be blacklisted and they can return to work in Thailand, provided that they obtain the appropriate visa, according to the outlet.
Earlier, CNN apologized for reporting without permission from inside the Thai day care facility.
“I’d like to offer my deepest apologies to the people of Thailand, especially the families of the victims of this tragedy. We are so sorry if we’ve caused you more pain and suffering, that was never our intention,” said 47-year-old Anna Coren, one of the journalists, according to the Thaiger news website.
Hodge, for his part, said: “I’d like to apologize to the people of Thailand for any extra grief we’ve caused through this incredibly traumatic time.”
In a statement, Mike McCarthy, CNN’s vice president, argued that the journalists did not mean to break any rules.
“We deeply regret any distress or offense our report may have caused, and for any inconvenience to the police at such a distressing time for the country,” he said.
The footage garnered criticism from the Thai Journalists Association and the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), who released a statement saying they were “dismayed” at CNN’s footage, which they called “unprofessional and a serious breach of journalistic ethics in crime reporting.”
It was later found that both Coren and Hodge entered Thailand on tourist visas and had no right to be working there.
On Oct. 6, Panya Kamlarb, a 34-year-old former cop, carried out a gun and knife attack on a day care center, killing 38 people, including 22 children, in the upper northeastern province of Nong Bua Lam Phu.
Out of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations, Thailand has the highest number of guns in possession of private individuals, with more than 10.3 million guns recorded in 2017, according to data from Small Arms Survey.–Anadolu