ABC News has suspended Matt Gutman, chief national correspondent, for an inaccurate statement he made on-air Sunday following the death of Kobe Bryant.
Gutman had erroneously reported on-air that all four of Bryant’s children were on board the helicopter that crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, California, on Sunday. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in the crash along with seven other people. Bryant’s other children were not on the helicopter.
“Reporting the facts accurately is the cornerstone of our journalism,” an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Business. “As he acknowledged on Sunday, Matt Gutman’s initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards.”
The Los Angeles Times first reported the news of Gutman’s suspension.
Gutman had corrected the error and apologized for it later on Sunday.
