American website TMZ has stood by its decision to publish pictures of Liam Payne‘s dead body in the immediate aftermath of his death.
TMZ was the first to break the news of the One Direction singer’s death on October 16. It published a report revealing the tragic news, and also shared pictures of Liam’s body.
Following intense backlash, the pictures were removed. Now it’s executive producer has defended the decision to publish the harrowing pictures.
Liam Payne death: Pictures of his dead body posted online
Late on Wednesday night, TMZ shared the tragic news of Liam’s death. Two pictures of the star’s body also featured in the report.
The pictures showed the singer’s arm, waist and tattoos. The publication said that it shared the pictures to confirm reports that he had died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
An image of the red police tent that was set up over Liam’s body at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires was also published.
Posting on Twitter initially, the site said: “TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam’s body on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby. We’re not showing the whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoo – a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen.”
However, after intense backlash, the pictures were removed. The copy was also changed to read: “TMZ has seen a photo showing Liam’s body on the deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby. You can clearly see his tattoos – a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen – which helped us confirm early reports from witnesses.”
TMZ boss breaks silence
The site’s executive producer Michael Babcock defended the decision to use the images while appearing on Fox 5 last night (October 17).
In a clip on YouTube, he said: “There’s a balance. And that’s obviously a conversation that newsrooms across the world have. You want to be sensitive to the family and to the friends and also while working a news story.”
He then launched a defence over publishing the pictures. “’’”
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