The Public Broadcasting Service has been ordered to pay a fine of €3,610 by the Broadcasting Authority for breaching the law by airing footage showing a murder victim receiving CPR.

The footage in question related to the murder of Egyptian national Mahmoud Adly, who was stabbed to death in Marsa on 24 July this year.

The state broadcaster aired footage showing explicit videos of a medical team from Mater Dei Hospital administered CPR and other resuscitation procedures on Adly while he was still on the ground outside the ambulance.

The footage was shared to social media and was also shared in the news bulletins aired on TVM and on TVMNews+.

The Broadcasting Authority said that the video showed people who were at the scene and were easily recognisable, and was aired even though Adly had not been identified at the time.

Besides that, the BA said, neither TVM nor TVMNews+ included any indication that the contents of the video may not be appropriate for children or for audiences of a more sensitive disposition.

The BA launched an investigation into the matter, and found that the state broadcaster had breached the Broadcasting Act on what constitutes bad taste in terms of how tragedies, particularly in view of respecting the dignity of the victim and their close relatives, are reported.

The BA also found that PBS breached standards laws which apply to news bulletins and current affairs programmes when it comes to sensationalism and audience protection.

The authority said that the investigation concluded on 26 July, and that PBS sent a letter on 3 August where they admitted to all charges and “condemned the publication of the film”.

The BA said in its statement that PBS told them that “immediate action” will be taken in order for the necessary measures to be strengthened so that nothing incidents such as these do not repeat themselves.