The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News and other broadcasters are being investigated by the media regulator after almost 1,000 complaints about the airing of graphic footage of the Woolwich attack.
Ofcom received a total of 700 complaints about TV news coverage of the Woolwich attack in which soldier Lee Rigby died on 22 May, which included graphic scenes filmed by a member of the public on a mobile phone of one of the alleged assailants with blood on their hands.
The regulator is investigating whether the broadcast of the footage before the 9pm watershed is in breach of the UK broadcasting code.
About half of the complaints are understood to have been about ITN-produced ITV News, which was the first to broadcast the footage on its 6.30pm bulletin on the day of the murder.
Ofcom has received complaints about the Woolwich coverage on 22 May by ITV News, BBC News, Channel 4 News, 5 News, Sky News and al-Jazeera. There were also two complaints about a BBC1 6pm news bulletin's follow-up coverage on 24 May.
According to Ofcom's code, broadcasters must apply "generally accepted standards" meaning that any material they air which might be offensive or explicit must be able to be justified by context, such as whether children are likely to see it.
Last month, an ITV News spokesman defended the decision to air the footage, saying that it was done on a "public interest basis as the material is integral to understanding the horrific incident".
"It was editorially justified to show such footage in the aftermath of such a shocking attack," he said, adding that the broadcasts were pre-faced with a warning that the segment contained graphic scenes.
A number of national newspapers, including the Guardian, led with front pages showing particularly graphic imagery the day after the attack.
Complaints made about Woolwich footage
ITV News London, 22 May, 6pm, 271 complaints
ITV National News, 22 May, 6:30pm, 83 complaints
BBC News at Ten, 22 May, 10pm, 70 complaints
ITV News at Ten, 22 May, 10pm, 88 complaints
BBC News at Six, 22 May, 6pm, 30 complaints
Channel 4 News, 22 May, 7pm, 21 complaints
BBC News Channel, 22 May, 7pm – 10pm, 18 complaints
5 News, Channel 5, 22 May, 6:30pm, six complaints
42 generic complaints about graphic news coverage on various channels
Sky News, 22 May, 7:55pm, 11 complaints
5 News Update, 22 May, 7:55pm, four complaints
BBC News at Six, 24 May, 6pm, two complaints
Other standalone complaints took figure to over 700
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