An ARD "Focal Point" of the BR informed on Wednesday evening about the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
But not all viewers liked how presenter Christian Nitsche and correspondent Katharina Willinger reported from the disaster area.
The BR sees no errors.
How do you report live from a disaster area?
How do you provide up-to-date information without offending those affected?
A tightrope walk that the creators of the latest ARD “Focal Point”, for which Bavarian Broadcasting is responsible, about the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria did not succeed in the eyes of many viewers on Wednesday evening.
Correspondent Katharina Willinger spoke to Memis Özdan from the Turkish city of Pazarcik, who, according to the reporter, traveled from Germany to his homeland to help.
"Just a minute ago, the news came that your sister passed away.
First of all, my heartfelt condolences,” said Willinger.
“But you also told me before the show that the help came too late.
Whereupon Özdan spoke in broken German of "very bad organization".
"Of course, he still lacks the words," explained Willinger, moderator Christian Nitsche commented: "Indeed, terrible news, a moving moment."
There was criticism on the social network Twitter.
"Dear ARD, can you please switch off immediately if someone is brought in front of the camera who has just received the news of his sister's death?" User Brother Francis was outraged.
Sarah Atorf added: "Doesn't the BR also have empathetic moderators?
The fact that Christian Nitsche continues to ask Katharina Willinger questions in 'Focus' leaves me speechless.” The moderator's question about breaches of building regulations and whether Turkey should have prepared better for this “foreseeable catastrophe” was felt to be “not appropriate”. .
At the request of our newspaper, the "Brennpunkt" editorial team defended the program.
Despite the news of death, Memis Özdan "definitely wanted to take part in the switch": "After the interview, he also audibly thanked him for being allowed to speak." Katharina Willinger conducted the interview "with great empathy and a lot of sensitivity", moderator Nitsche "Further questions spontaneously deleted at this point".
The editors saw it as their journalistic task "to report on the situation on site and to make the suffering tangible, but also to ask about the background and causes".