WHY?

Media Barge into San Bernardino Shooters' Apartment

Despite ongoing investigation.

On Friday afternoon, reporters received access to the apartment of suspected San Bernardino shooters Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik.

Reporting live on MSNBC, reporter Kerry Sanders rummaged through the couple's belongings, including family photographs, Arabic-language work books, and gifts for the six-month-old child they left behind.

Several other outlets photographed the residence, which had already been investigated by federal officials as part of the ongoing investigation. Fox's Will Carr and CNN's Victor Blackwell both reported live from inside the home; MSNBC was the only network of the three to broadcast identification cards, including Social Security and drivers licenses.

Some national legislators expressed dismay that the public would be allowed into the home while investigations are still in process. A San Bernardino sheriff's spokesperson said "That is not a cleared crime scene."

The landlord claimed he did not "allow" media into the house, but that they "rushed in" when he opened it.

"CNN, like many other news organizations, was granted access to the home by the landlord. We made a conscious editorial decision not to show close-up footage of any material that could be considered sensitive or identifiable, such as photos or ID cards," a network spokesperson said Friday.

And an MSNBC spokesperson said the following: "Although MSNBC was not the first crew to enter the home, we did have the first live shots from inside. We regret that we briefly showed images of photographs and identification cards that should not have been aired without review."

—Andrew Kirell

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