One of the few joys left in the news these days, is the fact that it is broadcast live and anything can happen. While local news casts are important as they fill people in on the key pieces of information people will need to know in their area, they are also a little less polished and more likely to see mistakes. While they are still fairly rare, it doesn’t change the fun of seeing how crazy things can get when an anchor messes up or goes off script during a live broadcast. Here is a list of some of the most incredible things that have happened, all done by news anchors.
LiveLeak
I’m Out
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Charlo Greene, a reporter for a CBS affiliate in Anchorage Alaska, was having a usual start to her reporting. The KTVA reporter then revealed that she was the owner of Alaska Cannabis Club and that she was done. She didn’t mince words.
“Now everything you’ve heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but, [expletive] I quit.”
Beck Gets Creepy
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Glenn Beck, a divisive figure in American news, went off on a tangent during a Headline Prime segment using a store about topless photos of an American Idol contestant to… hit on an attractive guest? During the discussion, he stops everything and simply asks, “Deena, I’ve got some time and camera. Why don’t you stop by.” Her face quickly showed she wasn’t having it, Beck played it off like it was a joke, and that was that.
The Fun of Insults
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When reporting on an English Olympians small urn, two anchors had a little uncomfortable ribbing. Anchor of the show, Mark, said, “Belinda, I just don’t understand how something so small can be so impressive.” In reply, the female anchor, Belinda, threw out this small jab, “Well, Mark you would know about that.”
A Man after Charlo’s Heart
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In this segment, an English reporter is standing in front of 8 1/2 tons of various drugs, including weed, heroin, and others, which have all been set on fire. The fumes were strong enough to get him and his cameraman so high that they could not get through the segment, instead, laughing hysterically on camera.
A Little NSFW Break on Camera
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Australia has some of my personal favorites, when it comes to news casters and news bloopers, but this one needs few words. Just look at the background during this live broadcast and you’ll see a banker checking out Miranda Kerr on his computer.
The Fashion Fight
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Three Aussie reporters all wore white on the same day. In a three way split screen, it became very apparent that they all went for the same style and host, Amer Sherlock asked reporter Julie Snook to cover up with a jacket, Snook simply rolled her eyes.
“If it’s an issue, I’ll just jump on out, honestly,” Snook says. “Fine, just jump on out, if that’s what you’d like to do” Sherlock replied, which then led to more back and forth between the women on live television. Essentially a verbal cat fight during a professional broadcast.
Brad Wills Under Attack
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Brad Wills was in the middle of a simple weather report at the beach when a large bug flew at him. His reaction cut the report short, sending it back to the studio. A studio reporter made light saying, “Brad was just attacked by either a large bug or a small drone.”
“If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it.”
LiveLeak
Jack Sparrow is a big deal for many people. While not all the movies have been critically well received the character seems to hit a chord with a great deal of people. When Madison Brooks was trying to speak to fans of Breaking Bad in Hollywood, someone dressed as Jack Sparrow started to harass her. Her reaction was confusion and disgust as Sparrow was pulled off camera while smelling her hair.
Glenn Beck’s Journalistic Integrity
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While over the top, shock-jock-style journalism may not be unique to the United States, characters, such as Glenn Beck have slowly broken down what journalism means to politics. Going on a streak about immigration and drought issues, he starts on an over the top sight gag, pouring “gas” on a guest and saying that Obama is “setting the country on fire.”
Fed Up With Journalism
Wikipedia
Christine Chubbuck interrupted a broadcast in 1974, Sarasota, to make a statement about where her channel, and the news, were headed. She obviously had other issues, but she likely felt this was a way to show the world that things needed to change, in her mind.
“In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: attempted suicide.”
After the statement, she shot herself right behind the ear and died shortly after.
The Max Headroom Incident
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Those that grew up in the 80’s know who Max Headroom was. Still a mystery to this day, an incident in 1987 had a 30 second hijacking of news channels where a man in a Max Headroom mask jumped around saying things that were hard to understand. While he was never found, the feat was impressive at the time as the know how was through the roof on hijacking a television signal and not being traced.
The Kardashian Effect
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Love them or hate them, the Kardsashian’s are everywhere. During a live segment on “Good Day Orlando” co-host John Brown decided he was done discussing them. He stormed off the set as he said he was sick of talking about them. On his return later, he said it was a sarcastic joke, but we all know the truth.
Well, Someone Messed Up
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During a segment on Fox31 news in Denver, Colorado, a picture of someone’s, “stuff”, was shown live on air. Shared on Twitter that day, it somehow made it on to the show, broadcasting for all of Denver to see.
We Aren’t Done with Downstairs
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On a Dallas station, a post-game interview took place in the locker room of the Cowboys. It turns out that the interview quickly became a peep show, and it wasn’t caught before airing.
Gore Wins the 2000 Election
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November 2000 is a pretty exciting time for fans of elections as it was so close that it took weeks to call the winner. CNN didn’t care, and declared Gore the winner before the night was over. People that went to sleep after that, woke up to a bit surprise that CNN was not only wrong, but they were in for a long, drawn out battle, to decide who won.
Global Warming?
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Cory McCloskey of Fox 10 handles the weather for the station. Due to a glitch, temperatures were not showing correctly in Arizona, which is already hot, but these temperatures were a bit too hot. “I would get out while you still can!” he joked once the numbers showed up.
Early Release
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AJ Clemente defied the odds after he was terminated from an NBC affiliate in North Dakota on his first day. Right as the cameras turned on he muttered a slur about the LGBTQ+ community that quickly ended his time with the station. Still, he works in the media, so it somehow didn’t end his career.
A Flash in the Pan
The Mirror
England and the West Indies were playing a cricket match when the camera started to pan around the crowd. A few fans got a bit too excited, and one ended up flashing the camera before they could pan away in time.
Proof Read
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One of the most famous flubs in broadcasting; the crash of flight Asiana 214 was reported on by KTVU. The anchor read the pilots names, which were put in as a prank, and came off as offensive to anyone that saw or heard it.
Incoming!
Reporting on the rooftop at Union Restaurant reporter Lee Valsvik had know idea how her segment would end. Close to the wrap up, her camera man tackled her, which seems terrible, but it actually was her laughter and good spirit that made it all the more memorable.
All Work and No Play
YouTube
Many news teams have a good relationship with plenty of solid inside jokes. This one, between Stewart Moore, Kara Gormley, and meteorologist Ben Tanner keeps going and seems to be funniest to the team. They introduce Tanner as a “regular guy,” which he responds to with something along the lines of, “yes, I am a regular guy. Bet you’re excited about this wonderful Tuesday. Are you as regular as I am?” After which, the cast and crew all try to hold it together, with Tanner having to step off camera multiple times to try to recover.
Who?
YouTube
Channel 3 news reporter got a surprise when reporting on the fact that a 60-year-old Florida prisoner was suspected of kidnapping a girl named Molly Bish. When the image was show of the man suspected, things don’t end up as expected. The reporter stayed on point though, saying “Well, no this is not Rodney Stanger, obviously.”
A Different Take
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The Channel 4 news team was reporting on Paris Fashion Week, when footage of a model collapsing because of her high heels came on the prompter. The two male anchors couldn’t hold in their laughter as the clip was played over and over. The female co-anchor was not as amused.
Government Assisted Weight Loss
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Fox News is known for extreme statements and agree or not, at times they go over the line. “Journalist” Andrea Tantaros said she would look “fabulous” if she were on food stamps. With an income of $1,033 a month to purchase food, she mentioned how much weight she could lose, making light of a serious issue and taking any credibility out of the report.
The Generation Killed by Mr. Rogers
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Another Fox show, Fox & Friends showed just how out of touch with facts they were. When discussing millennial issues, stating they were entitled and spoiled, they figured out just who was to blame; Mr. Rogers. Since his message made them all feel special, he was considered an “evil, evil man.”
We Found a Unicorn
YouTube
When this reported was trying to deliver the news from his outside post, a woman dressed in a tutu and wearing a unicorn mask stood next to him and screamed “boogity boogity boo” while… dancing? The reporter stayed stoic and finished delivering his piece in spite of the magical unicorn finally showing itself.
Who Gives a…
YouTube
During a regular Fox 2 broadcast, everything went as expected until the weatherman let out a a litany of expletives while still on the air. No context to what brought on the blast, but it seemed to have ended his career.
Fox News Gets Childish
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On Fox’s Hannity commentator Tamara Holder and Attorney General Eric Holder get into a preschool argument. While strong personalities often appear on the channel, this devolved into finger wagging, “shut up” statements thrown back and forth, and non-stop pestering on national T.V.
This is Fine
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Megyn Kelly has become a huge name on Fox and on other channels after she left the station. While she has plenty of things to discuss, this was her best. Rumors were swirling that her ex-husband, Dr. Dan Kendall, had had an affair, and when a story broke about Anthony Weiner cheating, she used it to launch into this accusation, “I have been in the position, not with my current marriage, where I’ve been betrayed. In the beginning, the instinct is very powerful to hang on.” She wasn’t accusing her current husband, but Kendall felt betrayed to have their dirty laundry aired on national television.
Basic Instinct
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Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle, one of the friends on The Five, on Fox, caused a stir when she had a wardrobe malfunction. On air, in 2014, she threw a football as part of a bit and sat down with her leg raised which revealed much more than intended, which led to a call from Democrats for stronger television censorship laws.
Happy New Year
YouTube
Fox isn’t the only network with some chaos happening in front of the entire nation and world. CNN’s Don Lemon joined Brooke Baldwin in New Orleans for the 2017 New Year’s Eve party. As the night went on, Don continued to down tequila. Baldwin stated, “The tequila is, like, emitting from your pores!”
Then Don became all of us when we had too much, talking about relationship issues and eventually debating about piercing his nipple or his ear. His ear was the winner, for those curious.
Where is House when You Need Him
YouTube
Serene Branson has become fairly famous due to a strange video during the 2011 Grammy Awards. It seemed like the start of an episode of House as she lost her ability to speak and only got out gibberish. Many though it was a stroke, but it turned out to be such a severe migraine that it caused temporary aphasia.
Seriously, Is there a Doctor in the House?
YouTube
Sarah Carlson of WICS Madison CBS news had it worse than the previous anchor. On air, the rising star in the news industry had started to have trouble speaking, which then had a minor seizure on air. It turned out she had epilepsy and a brain tumor. She was a single mother and left the news business to take a job in public relations.
The Grapes of Wrath
YouTube
One of the most famous clips of all time is from 2006, when Melissa Sander of WAGA-TV in Atlanta became a viral sensation. She was in a contest to stomp the most grapes and when she did some playful cheating. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and fell face first onto the ground from the platform. Her “Oooh, ow, ooh, stop I can’t breathe,” became internet famous almost over night.
The Freudian Slip
Eternallifestyle.com
Another famous personality, though not on purpose, is Siabhan Riley from Flint, Michigan station WJRT. She attempted to draw out the construction in the area when she ended up drawing what was undeniably a phallus. It was too late, though, as she didn’t realize what she had done until it was already up on the map.
The Obamas’ Terrorist Handshake
YouTube
E.D. Hill of Fox News, interpreted a fist bump between Barack and Michelle Obama as a secret terrorist fist jab. Saying, live… on air, “A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?” This of course is just part of the outrageous reporting that is common in the media today. Fox News, CNN, and others all take things out of context to push their own agendas, and things like this take it entirely too far.
Baby, Its Cold Outside
YouTube
Saphia Khambalia of City TV News Toronto became known, not for her reporting, but for a massive amount of snot falling from her nose during a live report. The drip went right onto the microphone before the segment ended. It didn’t end her carer though as she moved on to become an anchor for The Weather Network.
Cats Are So Sweet Sometimes
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Kathleen Cochrane of WJW’s Fox 8, reported on a couple that was arrested for animal abuse. The story was that the couple threw two cats out of their car, so the producer though it would be a great idea to put a cat in her arms during the segment. This lead to an attack on her face which then lead to her starting to cry. The camera then cut to images of cute cats playing, but Cochrane soldiers through and laughs it off, saying “Obviously I’m not a cat person.”
Megyn Kelly and Santa
YouTube
Megyn Kelly makes the list again as she was discussing a Slate piece with Aisha Harris which discussed depictions of a black Santa. Megyn went on to say definitively that both Jesus and Santa were white. “Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change,” said Kelly. “How do you revise it in the middle of the legacy in the story and change Santa from white to black?”
Possibly the One that Started it All
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Appearing on America’s Funniest Home Videos, and taking the internet by storm, this video may be the first major news related blooper. Rob Leth of Global News Toronto stood on the slopes to time tobogganers racing down the hill with his stop watch. Of course it didn’t go as planned. He was hit by a sled, fliped through the air and landed in the snow. He immediately turned to the camera, picked up his mic, and said, hat was a bad idea. From Riverside Park, this is Rob Leth.”