TV reporter has been suspended after footage shows she had deceived viewers

Being caught in a lie is awkward enough. Now being caught in a lie on camera is even worse. This German broadcast journalist was secretly filmed in an act that would discredit her credibility and integrity as a journalist. 

With the recent floods in Germany that have damaged buildings and roads, it is ideal for news reporters to depict the state of the country in pictures and video for those that may be far from their families, neighbouring towns, and those travelling to the area. 

READ MORE: Huge floods leave at least 108 dead in Europe

As it should be, Sussana Ohlen and the RTL team were on-site to broadcast live scenes of what it looks like on the ground. This time they were in the ravaged town of Bad Munstereifel, North Rhine-Westphalia, where people have died in the catastrophic flooding.

Footage of her smearing mud onto her clothes and face before reporting was shared on social media. This followed an RTL article that insinuated that she had  been helping with the cleaning up at the dilapidated buildings in Bad Munstereifel. 

Have a look here: 

READ MORE: Merkel visits 'surreal' flood zone as death toll rises

RTL took down the article and Ohlen (39)  has since been suspended. 

The channel released a statement on this incident saying: "Our reporter's approach clearly contradicts journalistic principles and our own standards. We therefore have her a leave of absence on Monday after we heard about it."

Ms Ohlen also issued a statement on her Instagram page admitting that she ‘made a serious mistake’ ahead of filming the segment for ‘Good Morning Germany’.

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According to German news site DW's translation, the above post basically reads as follows in English:

"As a journalist, this should never have happened to me. As a person who takes the suffering of all those affected to heart, it has happened to me. I'm sorry. 

"After I had already helped privately in the region in previous days, I was ashamed to stand in front of the camera in clean clothes, in front of the other relief workers. As a result, without thinking twice, I smeared mud on my clothes."

We can only say she should have thought about that action before she followed through with it. It now leaves a sour taste for viewers. We can only hope that she and other reporters in the world learn to just come as they are, no one is looking to judge how they look but simply to receive the news. 

Main Image Courtesy: @sussanaohlen