When sensationalism trumps decency. This week, the video of a German journalist appeared on social media. It shows reporter Susanna Ohlen amidst the damage caused by flooding in the badly affected town of Bad Münstereifel. With her boots on and her bob on her head, we can make out the journalist bending down to take mud and place it on her clothes, according to amateur images posted on Twitter.
Susanna Ohlen von RTL bei Fake-Hilfe erwischt
RTL-Moderatorin Susanna Ohlen reibt sich vor den Dreharbeiten mit Schlamm ein.https://t.co/ulQycgDkSu pic.twitter.com/sSNnOF9gkz
– ✖️ ɢᴇɢᴇɴ ᴅᴇɴ ꜱᴛʀᴏᴍ. ✖️ (@ 2coffeelater) July 22, 2021
In her report, the reporter, shovel in hand, calls on viewers to come to the aid of the town’s clean-up operations. Extract from the show Guten Morgen Deutschland has since been removed from the RTL channel’s website.
” I’m sorry “
On her Instagram account, Susanna Ohlen explained the reasons for her gesture. “Having already helped in a personal way in the area the previous days, I felt ashamed to stand in front of the camera in clean clothes in front of the other aid workers. Therefore, without thinking about it, I smeared mud on my clothes. “
“As a journalist, this should never have happened to me. As someone who takes the suffering of those affected to heart, this has happened to me. I’m sorry, ”the journalist concluded at the end of her message.
An act that goes against the “principles of journalism”
After looping on social networks, the images reached the management of RTL, the German channel for which Susanna Ohlen worked. “The actions of our reporter clearly contradict the principles of journalism and our own standards. Therefore, we laid her off on Monday, ”said a spokesperson for the channel on Thursday.
According to a latest report, 180 people were killed in the floods that hit western Germany last week, and around 150 are still missing or unreachable.