Reporter Scott Brown interviewed a former victim of domestic violence last week in WGRZ‘s ongoing coverage of the trial of Muzzammil Hassan, the Buffalo man charged with beheading his estranged wife.
At her request, the NBC-affiliate intended to protect the identity of the victim. During Brown’s interview (video above), the woman is lit so that her face remains in shadow. Although WGRZ concealed the image of the victim during the interview, Buffalo media reporter Alan Pergament points out:
Channel 2 wasn’t so careful when it ran the legal paperwork of divorce papers. A viewer could clearly see the names of the plaintiff filing for divorce and her husband. So much for protecting her identity.
Channel 2 General Manager Jim Toellner owned up to the error. “It is a terrible error and never should have happened,” said Toellner. “We have called her and apologized.”
WGRZ caught the mistake and the name only appeared during the segment’s initial airing on the 5:30 p.m. newscast.