Police in Thailand are reportedly investigating allegations that a CNN crew violated restrictions on the crime scene and inappropriately entered the nursery where a former police officer killed dozens of children and adults with a gun and knife last Thursday.
The complaint against CNN was lodged by a Thai reporter who saw CNN crew members climbing over police tape to exit the building. The Thai public responded with outrage when photos of the incident went viral on social media. Much of the criticism could be summarized as “why did CNN send reporters who are so insensitive to Thai customs?” and “Why would anyone think it was a good idea to shoot news footage of a gruesome crime scene where children were brutally murdered?”
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) said CNN’s crew was “unprofessional” and committed a “serious breach of journalistic ethics in crime reporting.”
“It was not a scoop, or an example of penetrating reporting, because no other news organization, foreign or local, was prepared to behave in this unethical manner, and any one of them could have done so,” the FCCT said in its statement.
“Thailand has been traumatized by this tragedy and there has been wide concern all along that inappropriate images should not be made public in traditional and social media. Simple respect for the deceased and their families is but one of the reasons,” the FCCT said.
Danaichok Boonsom, head of the local administration for the small town of Uthai Sawan, submitted a report charging CNN with “unauthorized entry onto government property.”
“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.
Boonsom noted the town was overrun with reporters after the Thursday massacre, the worst such incident in Thailand’s history.
“Let the legal process run its course, I don’t want to disclose all the details. Let the police do their work investigating,” he told the press as he departed the police station.
CNN issued a statement on Saturday claiming its crew was given permission to film inside the daycare center by local public health officials:
— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) October 8, 2022
On Sunday, while continuing to insist its reporters entered the crime scene “in good faith” and with necessary permission, CNN withdrew the report and its graphic images from its website.
“We deeply regret any distress or offense our report may have caused, and for any inconvenience to the Thai police at such a distressing time for the country,” said CNN executive vice president Mike McCarthy.
The two CNN journalists who entered the nursery, reporter Anna Coren and cameraman Daniel Hodge, filmed an apology after police questioned them.
Coren expressed her “deepest apologies” to victims and their families, and said, “we are so sorry to have caused you more pain and suffering.”
On Sunday, the Bangkok Post reported Coren and Hodge, who are citizens of Australia and the United Kingdom respectively, entered Thailand on tourist visas that did not allow them to work in the country.
The Thai Immigration Bureau said the visas for both CNN journalists have been revoked, and they were each fined 5,000 baht (about $133 U.S.) for violating the terms of their visas. Both journalists departed Thailand for Hong Kong on Monday.
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