TMZ has defended its decision to publish images of former One Direction star Liam Payne’slifeless body after he fell 40ft from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fans and celebrities are left inconsolable after the tragic death of cherished singer Liam Payne, whose body was photographed and displayed by TMZ following his fatal balcony fall in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
While deep grief envelops the globe over the former One Direction member’s untimely demise, TMZ faces intense scrutiny for its decision to publish photos from the grim scene where part of Liam’s lifeless form was visible on a wooden deck.
The backlash soared after fans noticed the disrespectful image surfaced shortly after the heartbreaking news on Wednesday evening. Outraged by the outlet’s insensitivity, UK TV personality Rylan Clark aired his dismay on Twitter: “And TMZ f**king shame on you. Disgrace.”
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An irate social media user expressed profound distress: “TMZ posting part of a photo of Liam Payne’s dead body in an article announcing his death is beyond deplorable. I can’t tell if I’m losing my mind lately or if society has always been this overtly morally decrepit.”
Vocalist Alessia Cara joined the outcry tagging TMZ directly: “you’re gross @TMZ,” with another supporter adding their voice to the chorus of disapproval against the publication’s shocking tactlessness: “I know we complain about TMZ a lot but they really surprise me every time at how insensitive they can be.”
Nevertheless, amidst the furor, on Thursday, October 17, TMZ executive producer Michael Babcock stood firm on the choice to present the controversial images during an interview on Fox 5 New York.
He explained: “There’s a balance, and that’s obviously a conversation that newsrooms across the world have you want to be sensitive to the family and to the friends and also while working a news story.”
Detailing the incident, he added, “When the information was coming in, police had not yet confirmed that it was Liam, so what was done on the TMZ website, there was an image did not show the full image, didn’t show his face but that showed his arm and his abdomen, where he has some very recognizable tattoos, so that’s sort of used as a way to confirm or to match up the tattoos at a point where police had not yet confirmed his identity. And then, once they did, obviously, that photo was removed.”
He lamented the tragedy, saying, “I mean, it’s just a terribly horrific and sad story. It’s something obviously that shouldn’t have happened, and this guy had so much life left to live and you feel horrible for everybody.”
Yet, fans were not consoled by these points, with one irate comment on the video clip reading: “Are they really still trying to justify putting pictures of a dead body on their website? ” Another angry viewer commented, “TMZ is disgraceful and disgusting and have no respect whatsoever and didn’t even bother to apologize for posting those horrendous pictures! ! ! Will never watch them again! ! ”
And a third person remarked critically, “[It’s] not TMZ’s job to ‘identify’ the body,” adding, “That is the job of the police/coroner to confirm. Revolting way to justify.”
Another fan chimed in, stating: “The real issue is who from the staff at the hotel or medical team sold the original image.None of the public had access to that specific viewpoint at that time. Snapping that picture on your phone and selling it is grossly immoral.”
Liam Payne, a former member of the hit boy band One Direction, initially gained fame on The X-Factor before achieving success with the group. After they disbanded in 2016, Liam pursued a solo music career, releasing his debut album LP1, and also had a son with former X-factor judge Cheryl Cole.
