Widow sues Fox News over helicopter news footage

Widow sues Fox News over helicopter news footage

23-Jun-2013 Source: HeliHub.com

Film footage shot from a helicopter is central to a new court case raised by Angela Rodriguez in Arizona – naming  News Corp., Fox Entertainment Group and Fox News Network, in her submission to Maricopa County Court. Fox News Channel inadvertently broadcast live the suicide of Jo Don Romero, 33, who killed himself after an extended police chase on 28 September 2012 following an armed carjacking incident.

Rodriguez, the mother of Romero’s children aged about 9, 13 and 15, included in papers submitted to the court that the children suffered severe emotional and psychological trauma, and is suing Fox for unspecified damages. The older two children have reportedly not attended school since. The broadcaster issued the following statement the same day “We took every precaution to avoid any such live incident by putting the helicopter pictures on a five-second delay,” said Michael Clemente, executive vice president of news editorial. “Unfortunately, this mistake was the result of a severe human error and we apologize for what viewers ultimately saw on the screen.”

See also reports (both containing the apology) from KSAZ Fox 10 Arizona and FoxNews itself

Clearly there is no implication per se on the operation of the helicopter, but one wonders how some countries laws could interpret live footage from the air and put some limitations in place, both on broadcasters and air operations.

William P Johnson – HeliHub.com US correspondent

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