Earlier this summer, we wrote about a new anchor who was fired for swearing on the air. In his defense, it was the young anchor’s first day on the job, and he didn’t know his microphone was on. The blunder quickly spread on social media, and thanks to quick action on the part of the news station, as well as a responsible and mature reaction on the part of the anchor (who was let go shortly after the slipup), the situation was defused.
However, not all on-air mistakes can be resolved so easily. The latest PR nightmare hit a San Francisco station covering the Asiana plane crash when an anchor incorrectly named the pilots of the crash. Considering the widespread coverage of the newscast, we are not listing the names—which were offensive—in this column.
The clip was circulated quickly, and the public, along with the airline, wanted to know who was responsible for the information. The station apologized several times, taking responsibility, but also noting that the fake names were confirmed by an intern at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In a statement the NTSB said:
“Earlier today, in response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft…. Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated.”
It seems that action was taken swiftly, with several media outlets reporting that the intern had been fired.