NEW YORK (AP) – ABC says it has suspended reporter Matt Gutman for incorrectly reporting that all four of Kobe Bryant’s children were with him in the helicopter crash north of Los Angeles on Sunday that killed the basketball star and eight others.
The network said reporting the facts accurately is a cornerstone of its business and Gutman had failed to meet its standards. It would not say on Thursday how long Gutman’s suspension would last.
One of Bryant’s daughters, Gianna, was a passenger and among those killed.
Gutman’s inaccurate report came in the initial stages of reporting on the accident and was later corrected on the air.
“We are in the business of holding people accountable,” Gutman said. “And I hold myself accountable for a terrible mistake, which I deeply regret. I want to personally apologize to the Bryant family for this wrenching loss and any additional anguish my report caused.”