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Fox News’ Shepard Smith explains what happened in-studio during car chase that ended in apparent suicide

Sep. 28, 2012 3:48pm Eddie Scarry

A live car chase narrated by Shepard Smith on Fox News today ended with a man apparently shooting himself in the head. There appeared to be a delay between what was being seen by Smith in studio and what viewers were seeing on television.

“Get off it” Smith said several times before Fox cut to commercial. When returning from the break, Smith explained what happened:

“Well, some explaining to do. While we were taking that car chase and showing it to you live when the guy pulled over and got out of the vehicle, we went on delay. That’s why I didn’t talk for about 10 seconds. We created a five-second delay as if you were to bleep back your DVR five seconds, that was what we did with the picture we were showing you 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. 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.

“Sometimes we see a lot of things that we don’t let get to you because it’s not time appropriate. It’s insensitive. It’s just wrong. And that was wrong. And that won’t happen again on my watch. And I”m sorry.”

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Comments (12)

Cosmos102
Posted on September 30, 2012 at 11:42pm
It’s weird. Now all I want is to see the actual video. Wish we could stop talking about it.

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piper60
Posted on September 30, 2012 at 8:46pm
The whole point of Shep’s apology, was that it was a real suicide that happened NOT fiction. Some of us are still sickened by the sight of a person offing themselves on t.v.

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corey_p_g
Posted on September 30, 2012 at 12:04am
just gonna rant a bit if ya’ll don’t mind. I am saddened by suicide. In the last year 2 former co workers committed suicide. I was diagnosed with depression a few years ago, have contemplated suicide, even with a .45 to my temple. I was either to chicken to pull the trigger or too brave to stop facing life. You can decide on that one. I believe GOD is still on the throne. I hope everyone feels HIS love. Please, no matter how much wealth you lose, or anything else in your life, do not kill yourself. We are all a loved people, and we all have a reason to continue on.

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GTRisFast
Posted on September 29, 2012 at 7:42pm
Foxnews broadcasts crap 24/7 and they apologize the one time they showed something true!

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- Chillax
  Posted on September 30, 2012 at 5:35am
  @Gtisfast – You are so blind I don’t know how you could have typed your message. Thank goodness for Siri I guess…
  
  Report this comment
stealthseesall
Posted on September 29, 2012 at 5:24pm
So Shep would have not shown the Challenger Disaster, The Hindenburg Explosion, The Kennedy Assassination, The Regan Shooting etc etc etc.
So basically, what ever Shep and Fox feels is OFFENSIVE then they will edit or just not show.
LIke Pro Wrestling that labels itself, “sports entertainment” i guess faux news labels itself “media entertainment”
Isn’t it a LIE to label something as LIVE when you are delaying the broadcast signal.

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listeninginVT
Posted on September 29, 2012 at 10:42am
Do they know why this guy shot himself?

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JustJason
Posted on September 28, 2012 at 9:29pm
This is the same mindset that says we cant know the truth about the economy.

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gilbert1880
Posted on September 28, 2012 at 4:50pm
I understand Fox offering an apology but I have seen worse on movies. The scene they let through was not that bad. At least Fox has some morals and takes responsibility for things.

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- AnnieJ
  Posted on September 28, 2012 at 5:18pm
  I agree but this was not a movie. It was a real guy. I was watching and it was in fact horrifying. It was clear either the gun jammed or he had the safety on and they were able to cut away before he actually shot himself. I thought it was a cellphone he took out of his pocket – until he put it to his head. I felt really bad for Shepard Smith. He was horrified and you could hear the control room, but they did do their job pretty quickly.
  
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- EricAZ
  Posted on September 28, 2012 at 10:16pm
  I saw the video too and all that you see in the long distance shot is his hand going up to his ear and he falls over. That’s probably how it got missed because it didn’t look bad till over.
  
  There are plenty of movies showing much, much more graphic and up close scenes. Shephard Smith was pretty upset about it for sure and I believe it was a very honest apology.
  
  Report this comment
- AnAmericanToo
  Posted on September 29, 2012 at 12:41pm
  There is a MAJOR difference between ‘seeing worse in movies’ vs.’seeing reality”. This is the problem society has with kids who play violent video games, etc. They can’t seem to understand the horrors of relief events any more.
  
  Movies want to entertain the public with violence and mayhem.
  
  In the real world — the dead do not get up, dust themselves off and do a ‘retake’ for the camera. In the real world — a distraught human being was so disturbed with his life that he killed himself. “Seen worse in movies” — I think not. A man is dead. A human being is dead.
  
  The news crew filming the ‘breaking event’ were like a movie crew seeking to entertain the public by tracking a real life car chase. It was not a OJ Simpson ‘low speed” police chase on the highways of California. But because it was real life and not a movie — this man playing in the news crews entertainment killed himself. It should give folks pause to consider the emotional trauma of the man that he would end his life. It should give folks pause to consider the cops on the ground who witnessed the death before their eyes. Where is the empathy for the deceased man and those on the ground? “Seen worse in the movies” … really the movie actors get up and walk away….this man is dead.
  
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