AirAsia Flight 8501: TV Networks Slammed On Social Media For Showing Graphic Footage

Media organizations in Indonesia have been criticized for showing live footage of search-and-rescue operation teams recovering a body from the Java Sea, where AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is believed to have crashed. The footage, which included graphic images, was broadcast live to passengers' relatives gathered at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya.

TV One, an Indonesian news network, was criticized by viewers on social media for showing the rescue operation on one side of the screen and showing live reactions from relatives at the airport on the other half, The Independent reported. Footage showing a body bobbing in the water also led to a man fainting after viewing the broadcast. The plane, which had 162 people on board and was flying from Surabaya to Singapore, is believed to have crashed amid bad weather.

Channel News Asia later apologized for showing the footage but people on social media criticized the media for not being sensitive to the emotions of the passengers' relatives.