Fox News Airs Suicide Live on National Television

Apologizes for airing apparent suicide, prompts criticism of covering of car chases

An elongated car chase near Phoenix, AZ, ended with the suspect committing an apparent suicide, and with Fox News broadcasting the act despite a five second delay to prevent such a scenario.

Sitting Fox News anchor Shepard Smith, after covering the chase, apologized to viewers, saying, ""That didn't belong on TV. We took every precaution we knew how to take to keep that from being on TV. And I personally apologize to you that that happened."

Fox News executive Vice President Michael Clemente issued a apologetic statement, saying the broadcast was a result of "severe human error" and that "we apologize for what viewers ultimately saw on the screen."

The chase has renewed criticism of Fox New's live coverage of car chases. As Time's James Poniewozik writes, "The bigger question here, though - and one that Fox is hardly alone in facing - is, Why televise live car chases in the first place? ... They're on because they excite the audience, because anything could happen - which means, to be blunt, because somebody could die."

But Fox isn't alone in airing the video: both Buzzfeed and Mediaite posted YouTube videos of the suicide, prompting outrage on Twitter. YouTube has since taken down the offending videos.

Via Business Insider

Was this a preventable mistake?

[Sonny]

Yes of course it was preventable...After all that's what the 5 second broadcasting delay is in place to help prevent...But what do you expect?...Its "Fox"? They represent a lot of people who don't value human life much anyway......As long as its no longer a fetus...They don't have much regard for anyone.....

[TeamAmerica]

KNBC and KCBS did the same thing in 1998 during the childrens afternoon cartoon time. Do you feel the same about them of just FOX?

[ACTSmom]

There was supposed to be a 10 second delay but it didn't work...and the rest of your comment is BS.

[marine1]

@ACTSmom does anyone truly give a rats azz? I think they like it because it gives you something to belly ache about?

[Sonny]

@ACTSmom Fair enough... I admit I might have gone a little over the line on that one.

[Rightwing]

You can always count on Foxnews to show what need not showing

[ir0nw0lfe]

Maybe, mane it was human error. While the act of suicide is a tragedy our public area 12 violents death every evening watch prime tome shows. Double that if they take on a weekend Saw-type graphic horror film. While those scenes are simulations they mimic reality so well we dont know the difference visually.

My point is this: the airing is tragic and the outcry should be no televising car chases. But the above incident is hardly traumatizing.

[ir0nw0lfe]

Airing not *mane*

[Keyjo]

Yes it was, at least in this case. They switched to 5 second delay. Perhaps 5 seconds is too little time to catch something this sudden. A technician sneezing is all it takes to miss the queue.
On the other hand, my morbid curiosity prompted me to immediately go to Buzzfeed to observe the unedited version. It wasn't bloody or gory or anything. It was swift, sudden, then the video stopped.
I remember a few years back when a L.A. television station aired a suicide on the freeway. A man set his truck, his dog and himself on fire on live television.
Death is a part of life, the grand finale! All that's left is the epilogue.

[mimi57]

FYI~ Shepherd Smith is a Liberal,so is; Kierstin Powers, Juan Williams,Greta
Van Sustern, Geraldo Rivera and several others...

[Politicskid]

Uh, Greta IS NOT a liberal.

[Sonny]

Neither is Geraldo...

[mimi57]

@Politicskid Yes she is. google it.

[mimi57]

@Sonny You're kidding , right?

[mimi57]

@Sonny Didn't mean to vote you up...

[DARSB]

Preventable? Sure. Stop broadcasting car chases. But props to Shep for his sincere apology.

[InjusticeSucks]

Fair,&,Balanced..and utterly Tasteless.And the FCC just keeps kissing their asses.

[Politicskid]

Tasteless? You think they aired this on purpose?

[Jack-Black]

@Politicskid He hates Fox because they are the only news network that will tell the truth about his beloved massiah. They dropped the ball on this one but at least when they do they apologize unlike other news networks.

[dances-weebles]

@Politicskid of course they did... it's good for ratings and that's all that's important.

[dances-weebles]

@Jack-Black bull.

[Jack-Black]

@dances-weebles Thank you for that well thought out response to a post.

[Keyjo]

So, has anyone heard yet about the Connecticut father who unknowingly shot his own masked son in self defense in the course of burglarizing his Aunt's house?

http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/makemore.htm...

http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/makemore.htm...

[Sonny]

Yeah I read about that...Man...what a tragedy...As a father. I felt sick just reading it....Can you imagine having to live the rest of your life knowing that you killed your own kid?!?

[Keyjo]

@Sonny
Not to mention, wondering if your own kid intended to kill you !
Sad. It must be quite unbearable.
I don't know if they'll ever have any certainty. I wonder if the kid had a Jeckle/Hyde type of life?

[Politicskid]

I doubt we'd be hearing about this had it been anybody but Fox.

[Decent-Dissent]

Im pretty sure a live execution isnt allowed on any channle. It just so happens one network showed it anyway, and it happend to be the prefered network of the NRA

[Politicskid]

@Decent-Dissent "showed it anyway?" You think they did it on purpose?

[Decent-Dissent]

@Politicskid
Short answer: yes. "Suspect considerd armed and dangerous, units in pursuit"; if your in the possition to say "thats good TV, put it on", then you are 100% responsible for what you broadcast.

[Lpguy]

Awww, who cares if they show a suicide, or a boob, or a bad word. If it offends you, start watching a different channel.

[Denizen_Kate]

Lpguy, amen to that! All TV remotes have a "power" button so you can turn it off, and most have several methods of allowing you to change the channel. Censorship is wrong. Period.

[tomincali]

whats the big deal?

[VCP]

That ladies and gentleman is why Fox News is #1. It full of tasteless, overstated, overrated drivel that you will not find anywhere else on real news stations. Fox is the bad car wreck that no conservative can turn away from!! Fox gives them their opinion everyday and tells them what to be "mad" at each and every waking hour. Without Fox News the conservatives would be lost in a world of happy that they hate soooo much. Thank you Fox News for giving our poor and sadly sad conservatives something to live for.

[TeamAmerica]

I don't watch Fox News (I only have basic cable), but it's funny to me how many left-leaning people constantly belittle them. It's no secret that the other networks have had liberal views for decades. Finally someone else comes along with an opposing view and people get their underwear in a knot. That speaks volumes.

[VCP]

@TeamAmerica what speaks volumes is that you or anyone would stick up for such a vile and pathetic news program as Fox. I left the news part off on for a reason. It isn't news!! They have a following of scared and frightened people and they tell them what they want to hear. I suppose that when things change it scary and people have to blame something for it all. So Fox tells them who to hate. I was a Republican for years, but this pitiful representation of it today is sickening. Fox is the fairy tale that lets them cling to what is comfortable and change is not what their comfortable with. Come back when your worried about something other than yourself and your small meaningless piece of the pie. Sleep well.

[TeamAmerica]

@VCP Wow, talk about vile and hateful. I just said I don't watch Fox News, so why would I be defending them? Your hate is clouding your comprehension. Anywho, what do you know about me that would make you think I am only worried about myself? Oh well, in time you'll learn and I'll be sleeping very well...as usual.

[VCP]

@TeamAmerica I'm sure you will. He who cast the first stone. Doesn't like it when rocks are thrown back.

[TeamAmerica]

@VCP Shhhh. I'm trying to sleep. The neighbors yapping dog is bad enough.

[TeamAmerica]

It's far less graphic than the live suicide of Danial Victor Jones in 1998 and aired by KNBC and KCBS . Jones used a shotgun to end his life. Are those belittling FOX forget about this episode?

[TeamAmerica]

*did those*

[PattyD]

Mountain out of a mole hill. It's life. People are crazy. And it' s captured live. Or you can continue to keep your head buried in the sand. Media gives you that option. CNN is the other option!

[dances-weebles]

sure it was preventable... faux news is scandal mongering just like all the rest. they're no better than national enquirer, except that the enquirer is honest.

[katniss641]

I don't know if it was preventable but I do know one way. There is too much coverage and interference from the news media when things like this happen. Why were they even live filming the car chase.

[PoliticsPerson]

You could argue that you couldn't tell exactly what happened until the man collapsed and took the cowardly way out.
Is it really that big of a deal? Nothing gruesome was seen. We see worse in on-TV movies. Difference between fake and real isn't much imo.
I, for one, could care less I saw what appeared to be a gun shot the the head and a man collapsing. Couldn't been fake and I wouldn't have actually known.

[bsking]

Well since they said it was, I guess the question is "is this another stupid question?"

[ibcingu]

Welcome to a seemingly fairly often occurence in the Phoenix metro area lately.

[Realthinker]

There is no way anyone could have known what was coming. No way at all. The bickering and finger pointing in this thread are beyond childish. Y'all need to grow up.

[ST_Louie_Sue]

Thanks for saving the taxpayers a bunch of money.