TMZ is facing major backlash after posting photos of Liam Payne’s body following his tragic death in Argentina earlier this week. Even though they’ve since taken the images down, TMZ’s exec is standing by the decision to publish them in the first place.
Here’s everything that went down and why fans are calling out the site for crossing the line.
Liam Payne, the former One Direction star, passed away on Wednesday night after a fall from his hotel balcony in South America.
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His sudden death has left fans of the boy band around the world devastated, mourning the loss of someone who died far too young.
TMZ was one of the first outlets to report Liam’s death, but instead of just releasing the news, they took it a step further by publishing photos of his body.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe images showed Liam lying on a wooden deck, with visible tattoos, and many people on the Internet were outraged by this.
Fans and critics immediately slammed TMZ for the decision, calling it “morally bankrupt” and “beyond disrespectful.”
Embed from Getty ImagesMany people couldn’t believe that a major outlet would share such intimate and tragic details of someone’s death, especially so soon after it happened.
One fan weighed in, saying, “How could they think this was okay? His family didn’t deserve this. It’s disgusting.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother added, “TMZ just hit a new low. This was way over the line.”
Many fans thought releasing the image was inappropriate and distasteful, even by TMZ’s usual standards.
Under pressure from all of the backlash, TMZ took the photos down just a few hours later.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, even after removing the images, they have tried to justify their decision, saying the tattoos in the pictures helped confirm the initial reports from witnesses on the scene.
Now, TMZ’s executive producer, Michael Babcock, has spoken out about why they chose to publish the photos in the first place.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn an interview with Fox 5 New York, Babcock defended the call, saying it was necessary to confirm Liam’s identity before the police officially announced it.
“When the information came in, the police hadn’t confirmed it was Liam,” Babcock explained.
Embed from Getty Images“We used the images to match up his tattoos. As soon as the police confirmed it, we took them down,” he added before admitting that the decision to publish the photo was not black and white.
Babcock explained that it’s a tricky situation, balancing news coverage with sensitivity.
Embed from Getty Images“It’s a conversation every newsroom has. You want to be respectful to the family, but also report the news accurately,” he said, although many still remain unconvinced and have argued journalism shouldn’t be prioritized over ethics.
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” one fan chimed in online.
Embed from Getty Images“There’s no excuse for showing someone’s body like that, especially when they hadn’t even told the family yet,” somebody else pointed out.
Unfortunately, the backlash toward TMZ has only continued to grow.
