German TV reporter apologises after being spotted smearing herself with mud at flood site before going on air

A German TV reporter has come clean after being caught covering herself in mud moments before going live on air to report on a flood-devastated town.

The clip, that has made the rounds on Twitter, shows the 39-year-old journalist, Susanna Ohlen, amongst the devastating damage from the severe floods in Germany. In an apparent bid to make the report authentic and look as though Ohlen had lent a helping hand in cleaning up the debris, she is filmed bending down to pick up some mud before smearing it on her face and clothes.

RTL.de had published an article titled ‘Cleaning up after the flood: RTL presenter lends a hand in Bad Munstereifel’, which has since been removed. Subsequently, the station has now fired Ohlen for faking it – after working for RTL since 2008.

They tweeted: “Our reporter’s approach clearly contradicts journalistic principles and our own standards. We therefore gave her a leave of absence on Monday after we heard about it.”

Ohlen has since apologised for the incident in a public apology published on the RTL website. She said:

“I made a serious mistake on Monday in the flood area... after I had already helped privately in the region on the previous days, I was ashamed in front of the other helpers that morning, in a clean top standing in front of the camera,”

“Without thinking about it, I smeared mud on my clothes.” She added.

Just under 200 people died due to Germany’s floods, with a further 31 deaths in Belgium. Chancellor Angela Merkel said the cost of the floods is yet to be determined, but said it is “immense. ”