Houston news anchor Daniella Guzman has been suspended by KPRC-TV pending an investigation into her acceptance of complimentary tickets to a World Cup match and a Bruno Mars concert. The tickets were provided by a component of Harris County government that manages NRG Park.
Guzman, an Emmy-winning anchor who hosted the 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. news broadcasts, may have violated the station's policies on conflicts of interest, according to station general manager Sean McLaughlin.
"Our station takes journalistic ethics very seriously along with anything that could potentially create even the appearance of a conflict of interest," McLaughlin told The Texas Voice. "Due to this being a personnel matter, we won’t have any other comments."
The Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation (HCSCC), which operates a suite at NRG Stadium, extended the invitation to Guzman. She attended the World Cup match between Portugal and DR Congo on June 17 with her parents, later posting a video from a luxury suite on social media. In the caption, Guzman expressed her excitement about experiencing the game with her parents but did not mention how she obtained the tickets.
In addition to the World Cup game, Guzman reportedly received four tickets to a Bruno Mars concert held at NRG Stadium in April.
Guzman is not the only public figure to have accepted tickets from the HCSCC. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and all four Harris County Commissioners also received tickets from the organization.