ABC News has suspended the reporter who inaccurately stated that Kobe Bryant’s four daughters were on board the helicopter that crashed, killing all nine passengers Sunday morning.
Bryant, 41, was killed in the crash along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, but, prior to confirmation, Matt Gutman, the chief national correspondent for ABC News, said Bryant’s other daughters were on the helicopter. He was broadcasting from the scene of the crash.
Gutman, 42, was suspended for the inaccurate reporting.
“Reporting the facts accurately is the cornerstone of our journalism,” an ABC News representative said in a statement to the Washington Examiner, confirming the suspension. “As he acknowledged on Sunday, Matt Gutman’s initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards.”
Today I inaccurately reported it was believed that four of Kobe Bryant’s children were on board that flight. That is incorrect. I apologize to Kobe’s family, friends and our viewers. pic.twitter.com/yYwuB9vpZl
— Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) January 27, 2020
Gutman apologized for the erroneous reporting, saying that journalists are “in the business of holding people accountable,” in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
He added, “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.”
In the aftermath of his false reporting, Gutman, who has been an ABC News correspondent since 2008, corrected himself on-air.
“Earlier, I reported that it was believed that four of Kobe’s children were on that flight,” he said. “That is incorrect. Unfortunately, this is a horrible tragedy, and one of his daughters was on the helicopter at the time. Obviously, they’re still working this investigation — the NTSB is coming; the FAA is already on scene. The coroner is going to make the final determination of who exactly was on that plane, but, again, I apologize for those remarks earlier about Kobe’s family on that helicopter.”
Gutman was not the only journalist who faced repercussions in the aftermath of Bryant’s death. The Washington Post placed reporter Felicia Sonmez on administrative leave to review if she violated the news outlet’s social media policy. She was reinstated after one day.
