14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, while reporting on the Asiana Airlines plane that crashed in San Francisco, a KTVU newscaster put their foot in their mouth by reading fake names that spelled profanity and phrases like “We Too Low” and “Sumthin’ Wrong.”
The airline company has already announced its intention of taking the network to court over the mishap, but CNN is now saying that the National Transportation Safety Board might also be in trouble.
As I noted yesterday, it was the NTSB who approved the names for the report. They owned up to the faux pas, saying it was an intern’s fault – obviously, the intern is not working with them anymore.
“Regarding the KTVU-TV's demeaning report of the pilots on July 12, Asiana Airlines is reviewing possible legal action against KTVU-TV and the NTSB,” Asiana says, arguing that the company took a serious image hit when the report aired on TV, but particularly when it went viral online.
In a statement to the same media outlet, the NTSB refuses to address the legal threat, saying their focus is on wrapping the investigation into the causes of the crash.
“The NTSB remains focused on the important investigative work being done to determine what caused Asiana Airlines Flight 214 to crash so that we can make safety recommendations to prevent it from happening again,” says a spokesperson.
Asiana Airlines has not yet said what kind of damages they might ask in case this does go to trial.