Millions witnessed the solar eclipse. It garnered a healthy amount of coverage as well. In Mexico, that coverage turned into a nightmare for staff and the anchor desk when images of a man’s testicles were blasted onto the television screen. One of the anchors immediately caught it, but someone will probably get fired for this mishap.
It was an innocent broadcast. The report merely listed cities in which you could view the eclipse. How could a story about the sun lead to such an obscene mishap? Well, the public submitted clips featured on the show, where the chance of chaos ensuing increased dramatically (via NY Post):
RCG Media’s 24/7 news program was covering the eclipse when its three anchors presented clips submitted by fans experiencing the celestial phenomenon — only to fall prey to a well-known prank in Latin America, the local La Vanguardia newspaper reported.
As the male host was listing the cities from where the eclipse could be enjoyed, the clips being presented on the left side of the screen cut to a man blocking out the sun with his testicles.
[…]
The clip was quickly taken off the screen, with the male anchor explaining that the clips were submitted by viewers as he admitted that the fervor to include fans’ experiences can lead to embarrassing situations for broadcasters.
It is not uncommon for people to share clips of a so-called “testicular eclipse” online during a solar event, with such images previously shared during the 2019 eclipse in Chile.
[…]
But Monday’s incident in Mexico appears to be the first time the image made its way onto television, with many mocking the news outlet for failing to check the video before airing it.
As the Post aptly noted, “This eclipse coverage was nuts.”
As many can discern, this is the problem with live television. Mistakes happen, and the control room does its best to minimize these errors. Some bloopers are made by the anchors, others by the cameramen, and the field reporters have had their fair share of trip-ups. Still, someone had to have been fired over this mishap:
NEW: Mexican media outlet RCG Media plays video of a man’s testicles thinking they were showing the eclipse.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 9, 2024
Someone’s getting fired.
Shortly after the image displayed for all their viewers to see, the production team quickly removed it.
The hosts were clearly… pic.twitter.com/UlDnR0RI6t
And over here in the States, one of the greatest anchor bloopers of all time:
