Free-to-air television station e.tv did not broadcast footage of the beheading of an American hostage in Iraq as reported on Thursday, the station said.
The station’s editor-in-chief, Joe Thloloe, said on Thursday reports that stated his station had aired footage of the beheading in the manner that SABC1 did were not entirely correct.
”We in fact cut the visuals before the beheading, although we continued with the screams of the victim. It was not prolonged, not graphic — the fade-off constituted sensitive editing,” he said.
”The story was of global importance and was carried in much more graphic detail by international news networks.”
It is, however, true that somebody complained to the Broadcast Complaints Commission about e.tv’s coverage, Thloloe said.
Earlier on Thursday, French news agency AFP quoted the Broadcast Complaints Commission as saying the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is under investigation for airing footage of the beheading during its early-evening news programmes.
The ”same footage” was shown on the 10pm news bulletin of e.tv, which also faces possible action, the commission reportedly said.
The SABC Xhosa news bulletin showed the two-minute footage of United States engineer Eugene Armstrong, who was decapitated by hooded men in Iraq, during its 7.30pm broadcast on Tuesday. — Sapa