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FOX News accidentally broadcasts live suicide

A time delay fails to work and FOX News accidentally screens a live suicide following a police car chase.

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FOX News Channel in the US has apologised after accidentally screening a live suicide on air, following live coverage of a police car chase in Arizona.

The police chase ended when a suspect who had been filed from a helicopter pulled out a handgun and shot himself in the head — before FOX News could stop the footage on air.

FOX News cut away from the local station feed immediately after, showing anchor Shepard Smith telling the control booth to “get off, get off, get off”, and went to commercial break.

When it returned, Smith apologised on-air, saying the feed was on a delay but the network failed in cutting it off in time.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=824fK1pkGT8[/youtube]

6 Responses

  1. Nothing accidental about it – they stuck with it even though their own commentator in the minute leading up to it was clearly indicating they should probably cut away as it was never going to end well.

    To be fair though to FOX News how they reacted to the situation afterward was brilliant with a for once honest and forthright apology in which they didn’t try to make excuses for themselves.

    It’ll be interesting to see what the FCC make of it – if anything. I suspect as no nipples were exposed they’ll be fine.

  2. That’s really confronting viewing when you watch the full vision, and when it cuts back to Shep in the studio you can see that he was watching the feed on that 5sec delay and desperately wanted to get it off the air.

  4. Neil is right. Five seconds is plenty of time under normal circumstances, if the person on the button is paying attention. However, if the vision is sufficiently shocking to that person, it will take them longer to process things and their decision-making will be affected.

    @jezza – it wasn’t Fox News apologising, it was Shepard Smith. He’s been known to have a difference of opinion with his producer over news content and editorial direction on a number of occasions. He’s the anchor that stops them from going so far to the right that they fall off the edge of the world.

  5. As much as I hate fox news it was a sincere mistake, which they immediately apologised for.

    Car chases are broadcast live on all commercial networks, a five second delay is a reasonable precaution to take. Just need to make sure the buttons within 5 seconds reach. . .

  6. “we took every precaution”. Really a 5 sec delay!

    Is the competition to get news to air first really that bad that 10-15 sec could not be used. At least that would allow for the command and reaction to take place within a reason time. I doubt anyone could see, process, direct and react within 5 sec.

    Still I did think his appolgy was sincere.

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