ITV News executives have decided not to broadcast an apparent confession from one of the suspects believed to be involved in the Woolwich attack.
Minutes before ITV aired film of Michael Olumide Adebolajo, the London-born man seen carrying a bloodied machete after the attack, bosses chose to remove a clip of him saying: "The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers."
An edited version on the channel's 6.30pm bulletin showed Adebolajo vowing to take "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" – but the full clip of the apparent confession was later published by the Sun.
An ITV News spokesman said: "We carefully considered showing this footage ahead of broadcast and made the decision to do so on a public interest basis as the material is integral to understanding the horrific incident that took place yesterday.
"It was editorially justified to show such footage in the aftermath of such a shocking attack, and we prefaced it on ITV News at 6.30pm and News at Ten with appropriate warnings to make viewers aware in advance of the graphic images about to be shown."
The decision to show the footage at all divided broadcasters, prompting around 800 complaints from distressed viewers. The body of the soldier, Lee Rigby, was visible in the background on some clips.
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