MSNBC got pranked by someone claiming to be from the US military in Ukraine during their live coverage of the downing of the Malaysian jet.
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The prank came during MSNBC’s The Cycle when a caller pretended to be someone named Staff Sgt. Michael Boyd. He claimed to be at the US Embassy in Ukraine. He said that he saw the plane shot down with a missile. He said that it appeared that the plane was, “shot down from a blast of wind from Howard Stern’s ass.” Krystal Ball kept going and asked if he could tell from his military training what sort of missile system that may have been. The prankster replied, “Boy. you’re a dumbass, aren’t you?”
At that point, Ball quickly ended the segment and went to break.
This sort of thing is common every time there is breaking news. Pranks like this happen because the cable news networks are in such a hurry to quickly obtain “exclusives.” MSNBC clearly didn’t do much of a background check on this guy before they put him on the air.
The country would benefit if our media stopped rushing to be first with every story. What good is being first, if the story is wrong? Being first doesn’t matter if the information is bad. In a way, MSNBC was lucky that it was just some Howard Stern fan who made it onto the air.
If somebody wanted to be malicious, he/she might spread false information that could have dire consequences in the midst of an international incident such as this one. At a press conference, the Malaysian Prime Minister insisted that the plane was shot down. There is a good reason why political leaders are speaking so carefully right now. The situation in the Ukraine is a dangerous war zone, and one bad national media report could trigger dire actions.
News networks have a duty to be responsible with who they put on the air during a breaking news situation. MSNBC got caught being overeager, and will see their credibility suffer another blow.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
