Kay Burley Puts Her Foot In It Yet Again: This Time With The Search For Missing April Jones

Her job is to find out the news, not create it but the Sky News anchorwoman seems determined to make the headlines herself by showing an acute lack of sensitivity, compassion and in many cases common sense when interviewing guests or members of the public on her show.  

Her latest indiscretion occured this morning when she informed members of the April Jones search party live on air that the police were now launching a murder investigation, following the arrest of suspect Mark Bridger. The two women interviewed were visibly shocked at the news, one into stunned silence, the other in tears as they tried to comprehend the information.

Twitter was immediately ablaze with complaints with MP Tom Watson saying Burley’s questions were “insensitive bordering on cruel”.  Radio DJ and presented Lauren Laverne tweeted "Kay Burley. Wow. Just wow".

So what was the aim of the interview? Was Kay trying to kindly update the women or was she deliberately trying to get a reaction?  

This isn’t the first time the news reader has come under fire. In February 2010, she reduced Peter Andre to tears as she repeatedly probed him on whether or not his ex-wife’s new husband Alex Reid would replace him as father to their two children. Later that year she also managed to show a complete lack of common sense when she joked that US Vice President Joe Biden had a ‘large bruise’ from ‘walking into the door’ when he had ash on his forehead to mark Ash Wednesday.

Ultimately, in sensitive cases such as the disappearance of April Jones, the role of the news anchor should be to inform the public but it seems that the lines between informing and creating a shock factor are becoming increasingly blurred.

Do you think Burley was right to tell the volunteers? We want to hear your views.