Criticism after pictures of Liam Payne’s dead body
The world star Liam Payne died after he fell from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires, late on Wednesday evening Swedish time.
TMZ says it “received photos depicting Liam’s body on a wooden deck at the hotel with tables and chairs nearby,” but chose to publish only photos showing Payne’s waist and one arm, according to its own statement.
World star Liam Payne is said to have fallen from the third floor of a hotel. Image source: Stella PicturesGrieving fans gathered outside the hotel to light candles and sing One Direction songs. Image source: Stella Pictures
The publication had time to be condemned by several profiles via social media before the images were removed.
“TMZ, you should be ashamed of me,” writes Ryan Clarkpresenter at the BBC, in a post on X.
Another who expressed his criticism is the singer Alessia Carracalling TMZ’s post “gross,” also on X.
One Direction. Image source: Stella Pictures
Neither TMZ nor its founder Harvey Levin have commented on the decisions.
However, it is not the first time that the entertainment site, which not infrequently pushes the ethical boundaries, finds itself in bad weather for its journalism. In 2020, for example, they received massive criticism for being so quick to report the news that Kobe Bryant and his daughter tragically died in a helicopter accident, that the coroner did not even have time to formally establish their identities.