TMZ Criticized for Image Said to Be of Liam Payne, One Direction Singer

TMZ Criticized for Image Said to Be of Liam Payne, One Direction Singer - The New York Times

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TMZ Criticized for Image Said to Be of Liam Payne, One Direction Singer

After a torrent of criticism, TMZ removed the image of a body without explanation.

TMZ, the Hollywood-obsessed news outlet known for its coverage of celebrities, drew a flood of criticism for publishing an image purporting to show the body of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who died in a fatal fall on Wednesday. The site later removed the image.

“TMZ is trying to get clicks and ad money off of a young man’s dead body just minutes after the news of his death,” Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist at the BBC, wrote in a post on X. “Imagine being a member of Liam Payne’s family and seeing this.”

The site initially published a cropped image of a body lying on a wooden deck, saying that it was at a hotel in Buenos Aires, where Mr. Payne died. TMZ said it had identified him from his distinctive tattoos.

“We’re not showing the whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoos — a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen,” text accompanying the photo said, according to screenshots of the article circulating online.

In addition to removing the photograph, TMZ also edited the text to remove any reference to showing part of Mr. Payne’s body. Editors did not post a note explaining their decision to amend the story.

A spokeswoman for TMZ did not respond to an email and call seeking comment.

There are circumstances where publishing images of dead bodies is journalistically defensible, said Kelly McBride, chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at the Poynter Institute. But such cases are those where the photos call attention to an important story that has a strong public interest element, such as harrowing conditions for migrant children.

In those cases, news outlets should be able to explain the decision to take the extraordinary step of publishing sensitive images, she said.

“When you don’t have a journalistic purpose, and you find yourself on the receiving end of criticism from your audience, you often are defensive and you have to walk your decisions back,” Ms. McBride said.

Sean Elliot, the ethics committee chair for the National Press Photographers Association, said that photo editors should apply reasonable editorial judgment to difficult publishing decisions.

“Is this person famous enough, and is their death significant enough that it’s a cultural touchstone?” Mr. Elliot said. “That’s a judgment that only TMZ can make for itself.”

Benjamin Mullin reports on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact him securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or at benjamin.mullin@nytimes.com. More about Benjamin Mullin

TMZ Productions,
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