Fox News Apologizes for Airing Suicide, Local Station Cut Out Early, and Everyone Complains

Fox News put out a statement apologizing the suicide west of Phoenix that was seen live on national TV today, chalking it up to "severe human error." Fox News' Shepard Smith had hinted at that immediately after the channel came back from commercials, as he explained that the station went...

By Matthew Hendley

September 28, 2012

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Fox News put out a statement apologizing the suicide west of Phoenix that was seen live on national TV today, chalking it up to "severe human error."

Fox News' Shepard Smith had hinted at that immediately after the channel came back from commercials, as he explained that the station went on a five-second delay as soon as the man got out of his car.

See also:
-Fox News Just Showed a Man Shoot Himself in the Head Outside of Phoenix on Live TV (Video)
-Man Carjacked People, Shot at Cops Before Shooting Himself on Live TV

"We created a five-second delay...so that we would see in the studio what was happening five seconds before you did, so that if anything went horribly wrong we'd be able to cut away from it without subjecting you to it and we really messed up," Smith said. "And we're all very sorry. 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."

On the other hand, those watching Channel 10 here in the Valley didn't see the shooting. For whatever reason, the local Fox affiliate cut away from the live video just a couple minutes before the shooting.

However, people watching a live stream of the video through the myfoxphoenix.com website did see it, and for that, they apologize.

"Today, shortly before 12pm, our website began live streaming of a police chase involving a carjacking suspect," reads the bottom of the news report on the car chase. "We apologize for offending anyone who may have witnessed this tragic event on our website."

You can read some opinions on the incident below, giving various reasons to complain about people watching this event, and these opinions range from grumpy, to whiny, to pathetic, to insane, to somewhat rational.

Who's worse? @foxnews for airing the suicide, or @buzzfeed for re-posting the video just in case you missed it the first time?
-- Columbia Jrn Review (@CJR) September 28, 2012

Blame Fox News and yourself and me---not @buzzfeed, @gawker, @mediaite.wapo.st/QLtA5S
-- ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) September 28, 2012

The ethics of covering car chases: "There is simply no excuse for this" journ.us/SpSATx FOX broadcasts suicide live
-- Poynter (@Poynter) September 28, 2012

POTUS: Obama supporter blows his head off on LIVE FOX TVyoutube.com/watch?v=TZttww...-
-- freedomologist (@Freedomologist) September 28, 2012

(That was the insane one.)

@drudge_report what a little girl...shep, grow a set and stop appologizing all the damn time.
-- Moishe Rubinsky (@m1rob) September 28, 2012

Shepard Smith apologized on Fox for showing a live on-air suicide following a lengthy car chase. Idea: How about not showing car chases?
-- Ken Rudin (@kenrudin) September 28, 2012

Fox News aired a live suicide today. They apologized to their viewers for broadcasting something that actually happened.
-- braden graeber (@hipstermermaid) September 28, 2012

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