Channel 10 has come under fire for broadcasting cooking shows for more than an hour before covering an alleged assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump.
The former president was interrupted mid-speech at a rally in Pennsylvania by a series of loud explosions at around 6:15pm ET (8:15am AEST) and was seen injured and bleeding from his right ear.
While the major networks reported on what was happening, Channel 10 aired several cooking shows until about 9.30am before covering the incident.
On the last show to air, Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn, the host showed viewers how to make a “blackberry buckle” before the commercials began.
An episode of The Drew Barrymore Show then began airing before it abruptly cut to show an American broadcast of the incident.
A source close to the television sector criticised the broadcaster, saying it was “good to have options in our diverse free-to-air media landscape”.
“It took an hour from the first reports of President Trump being shot for 10 News First to switch to US broadcaster CBS and begin covering what happened,” they told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I liked it. I took notes on how to make the blueberry glaze and added it to my dessert repertoire.
‘Cranberries with a squeeze of orange, simmer, then strain and whisk in powdered sugar. Pour a spoonful over the baked dish of your choice!’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment.
Channel 10 has come under fire for its late coverage of an alleged assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump on Sunday morning (pictured)
During the delay in coverage, footage from the rally showing Trump being wrestled to the ground by Secret Service agents was widely replayed by other networks.
Live-streamed scenes showed Trump being carried off the stage by Secret Service with blood covering his face and then punching his face and shouting “fight, fight, fight” after gunshots rang out in front of thousands of MAGA fans.
The gunman and one member of the crowd were killed and two others were taken to hospital in critical condition after the shooting Saturday night.
“I was shot with a bullet that went through the top of my right ear,” the former president wrote on his Truth Social account.
‘I knew immediately something was wrong because I heard a whistling sound, gunshots, and immediately felt the bullet go through the skin.
“There was a lot of bleeding and then I realized what was happening.”
In his statement, Trump thanked the Secret Service and extended his condolences to the family of the person who died at the rally.
“I want to express my condolences to the family of the person who was killed at the rally, and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured,” Trump said.
“It is incredible that such an act could happen in our country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is already dead.”
The network took more than an hour to report on the incident and instead aired several cooking shows before abruptly cutting to coverage on a US network (pictured).
The dramatic incident prompted Sky News to interrupt a live interview with Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers to cover the incident.
Asked to comment on the rapidly unfolding events, Dr Chalmers said he hoped the presidential candidate was “doing well”.
“I mean, these are extraordinary scenes and I hope former President Trump is OK,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was quick to condemn the shooting, saying there was “no place for violence in the democratic process.”
“The incident that occurred today at former President Trump’s campaign event in Pennsylvania is troubling and confronting,” he said Sunday.
