DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

TV presenter resigns after wrongly announcing death of Lionel Messi’s father

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Argentine TV presenter Florencia Peña resigned after mistakenly announcing the death of Lionel Messi's father on air.
  • The false information was reportedly fed to Peña by her production team, and the announcement quickly spread before being debunked by the Messi family.
  • Peña apologized to the Messi family and the channel condemned the incident, dismissing those responsible for the error.

Argentine television presenter Florencia Peña has resigned from her show after a significant on-air error where she announced the death of Jorge Messi, father of football superstar Lionel Messi. The incident occurred during the program "El Show del Verano" on Luzu TV.

We regret deeply what happened on air.

— Luzu TVThe channel's statement condemning the erroneous announcement of Jorge Messi's death.

According to reports, Peña received the false information through her earpiece from the production team. The erroneous announcement rapidly circulated before members of the Messi family confirmed that Jorge Messi is alive and recovering from health issues. The channel issued a statement condemning the broadcast of sensitive information without proper verification as "unacceptable."

This is bad communication from the production team and she doesn’t have to resign for it.

— #3getKennethed22A social media user's reaction to Florencia Peña's resignation.

Luzu TV announced the dismissal of those responsible for the mistake, while Peña opted to step down. She later expressed deep shame on social media for causing pain to the Messi family and stated she had personally contacted Lionel Messi's mother, Celia Cuccittini. In a visibly distressed appearance on another program, Peña explained the circumstances leading to her resignation.

You have to take some minutes to digest info before going on air and announce such info without legit confirmation.

— #bodex333A social media user's comment on the importance of verifying information before broadcasting.

The incident drew strong criticism in Argentina, including from President Javier Milei, who labeled Peña a "petty gossip." The story sparked widespread discussion online, with social media users debating the communication breakdown and the necessity of verifying information before broadcasting. While some defended Peña, others stressed the importance of thorough fact-checking before announcing such sensitive news.

One wrong cue in the earpiece… and a simple mistake becomes global news involving one of the most sensitive names in football.

— #Osinbolu1A social media user's observation on how a minor error can escalate into global news.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog