Ofcom has received a wave of complaints after Sky News mistakenly reported that a protest following the death of Chris Kaba was a gathering of mourners for Queen Elizabeth II.
Earlier this month, a demonstration was held in central London after 24-year-old Kaba was shot by an armed Metropolitan Police officer and later died in hospital.
However, when footage of the protest was shown on Sky News, an anchor incorrectly referred to those in attendance as mourners for the Queen on air.
“Look at that, look at the crowds of people winding their way down… they’ll be working their way up the Mall, and what a walk there is,” the reporter said.
“There are thousands of people lining that route, it really is an incredible sight. They’ll work their way up the Mall, very slowly, meeting new friends along the way, talking about their journey here, their memories of the Queen, their good wishes for the new King.”
It’s been revealed that the TV watchdog received 598 complaints about the incident, for which Sky News previously issued an apology.
Ofcom will now assess these complaints before deciding whether to launch an investigation, as is standard proecdure.
A clip of Sky News’ error was shared online soon after it aired, and was met with an immediate backlash on social media.
Although a clarification was then read out on air, a Sky News rep later said: “We apologise for a mistake made earlier today which accidentally misidentified aerial pictures of a protest march for Chris Kaba as a large gathering paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. We have also issued a correction on air to clarify the footage previously shown.”
Kaba, who was about to become a father, was killed on September 5 following a police pursuit of his car which ended in Streatham Hill, south London.
His Audi was hemmed in by two police vehicles in Kirkstall Gardens, a narrow residential street, and one round was fired from a police weapon.
The Metropolitan Police officer involved has been suspended by the force. An inquest into the 24-year-old’s death will be opened on October 4.
Last week, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it would be exploring “all of the circumstances” surrounding Kaba’s death, including whether “race influenced any actions taken by the police”.
However his family have voiced their upset after learning that the IOPC’s investigation could take as long as nine months to conclude.