A presenter in Argentina was reportedly resigned from her role after falsely reporting the passing of Lionel Messi’s father live on air on Thursday.
The media personality Florencia Peña of popular channel Luzu TV felt the full weight of public pressure and reportedly resigned following an incident where she reported unverified news Lionell’s Father, Jorge Messi, had died.
According to reports, Peña, while presenting on Luzu TV’s El Show del Verano program, said: “I don’t want to break bad news, but Messi’s father just died.” She also appeared to suggest the younger Messi, considered among the greatest footballers of all-time, would have to leave the World Cup as a result.
The news immediately went viral across the country, rapidly spreading online, forcing the Messi family to release a statement dismissing the false death announcement and confirming the 68-year-old is instead recovering in hospital following an unspecified health issue.
The backlash was equally as swift and twice as pressuring as fans denounced such fake news about one of their most beloved families.
Following the release, an apologetic Peña attempted to row back sentiment in a social media post, saying Jorge Messi’s passing was unconfirmed, as the falsity became clear.
“I apologize to the Messi family for the awful moment I imagine they are going through,” Peña later wrote on social media. “I am deeply ashamed to have been the vehicle for this pain. I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified by the production team of the show, and I trusted it. Even so, I take responsibility for being part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to step aside and end my participation in Luzu. I apologise again from the heart; I was wrong.
It was further reported locally that several brands subsequently withdrew sponsorship of the live streaming channel, forcing the network to issue a statement of apology as per Deadline “We deeply regret the incident that occurred on air during the programme,” said Luzu. “For our channel, broadcasting sensitive information without proper prior verification is unacceptable.
“Consequently, Luzu TV management has decided to part ways with all those responsible, and Florencia Peña has decided to step aside. We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful, and rigorous communication.”
