False news about the supposed death of Jorge Messi provoked a huge controversy in Argentina and ended with the dismissal of presenter Florencia Peña and the production team of the program “El Show de Verano”.
During a live broadcast, the presenter interrupted the program to announce the supposed death of Lionel Messi’s father. The information ended up being quickly refuted, leading to a wave of criticism and an immediate reaction from the TV station Luzu.
In a statement, the channel considered the disclosure of such sensitive information without any prior verification to be “inadmissible” and announced the release of all those responsible. The platform’s founder, Nicolás Occhiato, confirmed the decision.
Meanwhile, Florencia Peña apologized to the Messi family and took responsibility for what happened. The presenter explained that the information was given to her by the production team as fully confirmed and admitted to feeling “very ashamed” for having contributed to the family’s suffering.
Lionel Messi’s family also released a statement to clarify the situation, confirming that Jorge Messi is facing a health problem, but is under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favorably. Family members also lamented the lack of sensitivity and called for only information disclosed through the family’s official channels to be considered valid.
💥Florencia Peña gave the false news of Jorge Messi’s death on Luzu TV.
➡️The actress and host reported it on the air and minutes later she had to retract her statement.
“They threw it at me here, I hope it’s fake. This is what is happening today with communication”
— Argentine Television (@teleargentinaOK)
