CNN crew’s ‘unethical’ coverage of Thailand nursery massacre being probed by police

Two CNN journalists reportedly entered Thailand on tourist visas, later revoked by officials

Police in Thailand are investigating whether a CNN crew “unethically” entered the nursery where at least 24 children were killed in the deadliest rampage in the nation’s history, during their coverage of the mass shooting.

The mass shooting had occurred on Thursday after the attacker, identified as former policeman Panya Kamrap, had stormed into the nursery in the town of Utthai Sawan in Nong Bua Lamphu province, gunning down 38 people, including sleeping children.

Danaichok Boonsom, the head of the local township administration, said he submitted his report on the CNN incident alleging unauthorised entry onto the government property.

“Let the legal process run its course, I don’t want to disclose all the details,” he said. “Let the police do their work investigating.”

The probe began after a local reporter posted a picture of two members of the CNN crew leaving the crime scene, with one climbing over the low wall and fence around the compound and the other already outside.

The two CNN journalists had entered Thailand on tourist visas, which have been revoked, deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn said.

The American broadcaster tweeted that the crew had entered the premises when the police cordon had been removed and were told by three public health officials that they could film inside.

“The team gathered footage inside the centre for around 15 minutes, then left,” CNN said in its tweet.

“During this time, the cordon had been set back in place, so the team needed to climb over the fence at the centre to leave.”

CNN International’s executive vice president and general manager Mike McCarthy added that the reporters sought permission before entering the building, but the team “now understands that these officials were not authorised to grant this permission”.

He said the news channel had ceased broadcasting the report and had removed the video from its website, adding that it was never their reporters’ “intention to contravene any rules”.

“We deeply regret any distress or offence our report may have caused, and for any inconvenience to the police at such a distressing time for the country,” he added.

The comments come after the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) said it was “dismayed” by CNN’s coverage and the decision to film inside the nursery.

“This was unprofessional and a serious breach of journalistic ethics in crime reporting,” the FCCT said.

“Simple respect for the deceased and their families is but one of the reasons.”

The Thai Journalists’ Association criticised the American broadcaster’s actions as “unethical” and “insensitive”, while seeking an internal company investigation.