12/9/22: Sky News and one of its reporters have apologised after mistakenly identifying a protest march for Chris Kaba – an unarmed black man shot dead by the police – as a procession for the late Queen.*
Sky anchor Sarah-Jane Mee attracted substantial ire online after describing footage of a crowd passing through Trafalgar Square as “an incredible sight. They’ll work their way up the Mall very slowly, meeting new friends along the way – so many people talking to each other about their journey here, why they wanted to come, their memories of the Queen, their good wishes for the new King.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct says it is investigating Kaba’s killing as a homicide. A Sky spokesperson said: “We apologise for a mistake made earlier today which accidentally misidentified aerial pictures of a protest march for Chris Kaba as a large gathering paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth. We have also issued a correction on air to clarify the footage previously shown.”
Mee also apologised in a Tweet.
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I made a mistake on air, I wrongly identified crowds in Trafalgar Sq as some of the 1000s heading to Palace when at that moment it was people turning out for Chris Kaba.
— Sarah-Jane Mee (@skysarahjane) September 10, 2022
I’d like to personally apologise to those involved. We are covering the march & it’s significance later today.
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