eNCA (DStv 403) on Wednesday says the TV news channel will not show viewers the gruesome and mutilated police photographs of a dead, bullet-wound filled Reeva Steenkamp while SABC News (DStv 404) showed viewers the images blurred with a warning, and Sky News (DStv 402) said the gruesome images are "not nice".
TV channels and media in South Africa who want to, can now show 6 shocking, selected police photographs that form part of the submitted evidence in the sensational Oscar Pistorius trial, previously banned by Judge Thokozile Masipa.
Reeva Steenkamp's parents, June and Barry Steenkamp, had the grim task of going through the sets of photographs and choose the 6 they want to share with the media and the public.
On Wednesday Judge Thokozile Masipa said media that wants to, can show the 6 released images, after Reeva Steenkamp's family like her father Barry Steenkamp on Tuesday asked for people to see the images to understand the excruciating pain her parents and family are experiencing daily.
"These photographs happen to be part of the evidence which is a public record," said Judge Thokozile Masipa.
"Initially not to make the photographs public was to protect the integrity of the family of the deceased. If the family of the deceased now feels that that protection is no longer necessary, it's not for me to interfere with that decision. For that reason I shall grant the request," said Judge Thokozile Masipa.
eNCA on Wednesday evening told viewers that "eNCA has the photographs but has decided not to show them on air. The channel does not believe that it is in the public interest to broadcast the images."
On Wednesday evening Sky News' Jeremy Thompson anchoring from outside the North Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg court this week, told viewers that "these pictures, basically restricted before, are basically close-ups of Reeva Steenkamp, with the bullet wounds. And they're gruesome pictures."
"We've seen them and I wouldn't want most people to see them. They're not nice," Jeremy Thompson said.
SABC News on Wednesday warned viewers that "some of the following visuals may upset sensitive viewers" in an excellent summary story of the day's court proceedings that was filed by Chriselda Lewis.
The warning likely also had to do with showing video of Oscar Pistorius waddling around on his stumps in court - the filed SABC News story showed some of the jaw-dropping scenes inside the court room on Wednesday when Reeve Steenkamp's killer removed his prosthetic legs.
In April 2014 both eNCA and the Oscar Pistorius Trial TV channel - produced by Combined Artistic Productions on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform - showed viewers one of the highly disturbing images of a bloodied Reeva Steenkamp's head wound without any prior warning to viewers.
eNCA blamed the Combined Artistic Productions Oscar Pistorius Trial TV channel which was providing the channel feed it was using.
Sky News, in a filed and edited story included the images on the same day, but blurred it.
In May 2013 Sky News showed viewers some of the blood-smeared rooms inside Oscar Pistorius' home.
