Following the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, his family has issued a statement asking for privacy while criticizing the media for the false reports that emerged soon after the news first broke.
Shortly after reports surfaced that Kobe and Gianna had died, ABC News chief national correspondent Matt Gutman claimed all four of the Bryant children had died in the crash.
ABC News promptly suspended Gutman for his erroneous reports. “Reporting the facts accurately is a cornerstone of our journalism,” an ABC News spokesperson told CNN. ”
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As he acknowledged on Sunday, Matt Gutman’s initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards.”
TMZ also claimed someone from Kobe’s camp was working with them before they broke the news.
Thursday’s statement from the Bryant family comes after Vanessa Bryant’s heartbreaking post on Instagram on Wednesday.
Flip the Page to read their statement:
