I was watching MSNBC live today as this incredibly uncomfortable situation unfolded. Reporters from MSNBC, CNN, and CBS aired live spots from inside the apartment that belonged to the suspect in the San Bernardino shooting that took place on Wednesday.
Clueless reporter Kerry Sanders picked up a driver’s license, a Social Security card, about a dozen photos, and more for the inspection of the camera. The reporter freely admitted that he had no idea whom they belonged to, or who was pictured in the images. This did not, apparently, give him any pause before airing images of them on live television. (According to Vice, the identification cards belonged to shooter Syed Farook’s mother.)
The NBC reporter also expressed wonder at finding a prayer rug in the apartment.
“Now, here’s something interesting. A prayer rug . . . I don’t know if this has been moved, but this should be facing Mecca.”
The F.B.I. did NOT believe the apartment should be open to media but an F.B.I. spokesman told the L.A. Times that the agency released the apartment to the owner.
“It’s still an ongoing investigation…
When we finish our searches we release the property back to the owner.”
CNN said in a statement.
“CNN, like many other news organizations, was granted access to the home by the landlord. We made a conscious editorial decision not to show close-up footage of any material that could be considered sensitive or identifiable, such as photos or ID cards.”
A spokesperson for MSNBC said in a statement.
“MSNBC and other news organizations were invited into the home by the landlord after law enforcement officials had finished examining the site and returned control to the landlord. Although MSNBC was not the first crew to enter the home, we did have the first live shots from inside. We regret that we briefly showed images of photographs and identification cards that should not have been aired without review.”
An L.A. Times reporter on the scene quoted the building owner confirming that he allowed the reporters to enter. However, in an interview outside the home, the owner said he simply opened the door, and that reporters rushed past him “like a garage sale.”
MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, clearly uncomfortable with the coverage, asked the reporter and cameraman to refrain from airing photos. An NBC reporter said in audio that was picked up on the livestream…
“They want wide shots, no photos.”
CNN’s Anderson Cooper described the footage his network was showing as “truly bizarre,” and a security expert on the network said,
“I am so shocked I cannot believe it.”
Fox News also went inside the apartment. C Eventually, other members of the public began going in as well, including one woman who was walking a dog.
The actions of the networks were widely denounced on social media, where many journalists reacted with a mix of shock and horror at seeing their colleagues rifle through what could be considered part of a crime scene and reveal the names and photos of individuals whom they have not identified as involved in the investigation in any way.
The world we live in. It’s a free-for-all. Sigh.
(via Vanity Fair)
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