News Station Apologizes For Boob Footage
by Christine Stuart | Mar 13, 2013 2:32pm
(13) Comments | Commenting has expired
Posted to: Equality, Media Matters, State Capitol
Wednesday was Women’s Day at the state Capitol. It was time for women to discuss public policy and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. But that’s not exactly the message Fox 61 Connecticut conveyed during its morning broadcast, which had women’s groups calling for the removal of the story and an apology.
The news story was simply a preview of Women’s Day at the Capitol read by Fox Anchor Erica Arias. It was the footage the news organization decided to use for visuals in the background that has women’s groups outraged — it was b-roll of women’s breasts.
“The airing of the footage is repugnant and is not of the level of a credible news organization,” Jacqueline Kozin, co-president of the Connecticut National Organization of Women, said. “Fox CT News, whether they intended to or not, has just inserted their organization into a culture war and sent the message that women should not be taken seriously. It is an insult to the female employees at Fox and to women throughout Connecticut.”
Click the play button to watch the video.
By Wednesday afternoon, Fox 61 Connecticut was apologizing for airing footage of women’s breasts in a preview about Women’s Day at the state Capitol.
“FOX CT apologizes for mistakenly airing inappropriate file footage in conjunction with this morning’s report on Women’s Day at the Connecticut State Capitol,” Jennifer Humes, spokeswoman for CT1 Media, said in a statement. “The video should never have aired. FOX CT will publicly apologize on today’s newscasts, as well as through our social media platforms. We are also implementing procedures to keep this from happening in the future.”
Teresa Younger, executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, said she was “appalled” by the footage, which she didn’t get a chance to view until late Wednesday following the event.
“I’m pissed,” Younger said.
She said if the female anchor had stopped the broadcast once she saw the footage, the commission would have supported her for stepping up. She said it was a completely inappropriate depiction of women.
“We invite the executives at Fox to ask about our Sexual Harassment Awareness and Prevention trainings, which would help them and their staff learn a little more about what goes on above a woman’s shoulders,” Younger said.
Tags: Fox 61, boobs, women, sexism, Sexual Harassment Awareness and Prevention, teresa younger, Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, Women's Day, dh
(13) Comments
posted by: Fisherman | March 13, 2013 5:49pm
Fox News… keeping the public abreast of all things news, since October 7, 1996…
posted by: NoNonsense2013 | March 13, 2013 6:20pm
A story about Women’s Day at the State Capitol wasn’t titillating enough without video footage?
posted by: GoatBoyPHD | March 13, 2013 6:51pm
This is not the first time Christine’s reported on the ‘Great Fox Breast Fetish’,
http://tinyurl.com/2allba3
posted by: Noteworthy | March 13, 2013 10:19pm
Fox News is just fitting in with what normally happens in the LOB.
posted by: ko4478 | March 14, 2013 6:25am
Why is anyone surprised? The FAKE news channel is infamous for this stuff. Look at the News Barbies they have as their anchors nationally and the way they dress. The low information male viewers love it. It’s not known as FOX BOOBS channel for nothing. Oh and they’ll likely get a ratings bump from all this attention.
posted by: NoNonsense2013 | March 14, 2013 8:35am
Perhaps Fox could air the video again, accompanied by Seth McFarland’s song from the Oscars?
posted by: Sarah Darer Littman | March 14, 2013 8:36am
Their apology was lame. If the “file footage” was used by “mistake” TWICE, it still begs the question - why did Fox have file footage consisting solely of women’s breasts to begin with? As a male commenter on my FB page put it, “This would be charming if the producer were a nine year old boy.” But this is allegedly a news channel.
posted by: res ipsa | March 14, 2013 10:36am
Where’s PCSW’s outrage on the Rep. Hewitt scandal? Hypocrisy, anyone?
posted by: Christine Stuart | March 14, 2013 12:50pm
Why have people not read Younger’s statement on Hewett? Here it is for the 10th time.
posted by: Sarah Darer Littman | March 14, 2013 12:51pm
res ipsa - I wrote to Nancy DiNardo and Rep Sharkey about Hewitt. So no hypocrisy. And the fact that HST has to ask why they should apologize? Hope he doesn’t have a daughter.
posted by: Mansfield1 | March 14, 2013 1:43pm
And we have a “news operation” wandering around collecting file footage of Boobs, cleavage, etc? And we wonder why so many know so little? I don’t think anyone could make this stuff up.
I hear the Koch brothers want to buy the Tribune Company papers. Can you imagine the Courant once they take over?