The executive producer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) Xhosa news has been suspended pending the outcome of a probe into video footage showing the beheading of an American hostage in Iraq on Tuesday night.
”This is something very much against our editorial policy, to flight explicit pictures. We don’t show gruesome pictures of people being killed,” SABC spokesperson Paul Setsetse said on Wednesday.
Pictures of an American hostage being beheaded in Iraq were broadcast on the Xhosa news bulletin at 7.30pm on Tuesday.
Setsetse said the SABC has issued an apology to the public about the incident and will do so again in its bulletins on Wednesday night.
”We regret that incident. It’s a mistake and we are taking action against the individual responsible. We hope the public will accept our apology,” he said.
Setsetse said the investigation into the matter has already started, but could not tell when it will be concluded. — Sapa