Hot mic

Last updated

A hot mic, sometimes referred to as an open microphone or (in aviation) a stuck mic, is in general an apparent error in which a microphone is switched on or remains on, especially without the speaker realizing. [1]

Contents

A special case of hot mic is the microphone gaffe, in which the microphone is actively collecting and transmitting sound gathered near a subject who is unaware that their remarks are being transmitted and recorded, allowing unintended listeners or viewers to hear parts of conversations not intended for public consumption. Such errors usually involve live broadcasting in radio or television, and sometimes material is recorded and played back via media outlets. Such events can cause embarrassment for the person or organization involved, sometimes resulting in serious confrontations and employment termination.

Noted occurrences of microphone gaffes

Television broadcasts

Political

Other

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicente Fox</span> President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006

Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. After campaigning as a right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the National Action Party (PAN) ticket in the 2000 election. He became the first president not from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) since 1929, and the first elected from an opposition party since Francisco I. Madero in 1911. Fox won the election with 43 percent of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushism</span> Unconventional statements by George W. Bush

Bushisms are unconventional statements, phrases, pronunciations, malapropisms, and semantic or linguistic errors made in the public speaking of George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States. Common characteristics of Bushisms include malapropisms, spoonerisms, the creation of neologisms or stunt words, and errors in subject–verb agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie McGuire</span> Australian media personality and television host (born 1964)

Edward Joseph McGuireAM is an Australian television and radio presenter, journalist, Australian Football League commentator and former TV executive. He is also an occasional Herald Sun newspaper columnist. He hosts Channel Nine's Millionaire Hot Seat, Wednesday night episodes of Footy Classified, and Network 10's coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piers Morgan</span> British journalist and television host (born 1965)

Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan is an English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and media personality. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid The Sun. In 1994, at the age of 29, he was appointed editor of the News of the World by Rupert Murdoch, which made him the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in more than half a century. From 1995, Morgan edited the Daily Mirror, but was fired in 2004. He was the editorial director of First News from 2006 to 2007. In 2014, Morgan became the first editor-at-large of the MailOnline website's US operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Bush</span> American radio and television host (born 1971)

William Hall Bush is an American radio and television host. He is a member of the Bush family, a nephew of former President George H. W. Bush and cousin of former President George W. Bush and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyra Phillips</span> American journalist

Kyra Phillips is a correspondent for ABC News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thom Brennaman</span> American sportscaster (born 1963)

Thomas Wade Brennaman is an American television sportscaster, currently the lead announcer for CW Sports college football games. He is the son of former Cincinnati Reds radio sportscaster Marty Brennaman. He served as a play-by-play commentator for Fox Sports since its inception in 1994 through 2020, the television voice of the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998 to 2006, and as the voice of the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 through 2020. His career with the Reds and Fox Sports ended abruptly when he was caught on a hot mic making a homophobic statement during a game broadcast. His on-air apology, in which he interrupted himself to call "a drive into deep left field by Castellanos", became an internet meme. Since leaving the Reds, he has served as a commentator for the Roberto Clemente League and for Chatterbox Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mika Brzezinski</span> American television host

Mika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski Scarborough is an American talk show host who co-hosts MSNBC's weekday morning broadcast show Morning Joe alongside her husband Joe Scarborough. She was formerly a CBS News correspondent, and was their principal "Ground Zero" reporter during the morning of the September 11 attacks. In 2007, she joined MSNBC as an occasional anchor, and was subsequently chosen as co-host of Morning Joe.

"We begin bombing in five minutes" is the last sentence of a controversial, off-the-record joke made by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1984, during the Cold War. While preparing for a scheduled radio address from his vacation home in California, Reagan joked with those present about outlawing and bombing Russia. The joke was not broadcast live, but was recorded and later leaked to the public. The Soviet Union criticized the joke, as did Reagan's opponent in the 1984 United States presidential election, Walter Mondale.

<i>Fuck</i> English-language profanity

Fuck is an English-language profanity that often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested to around 1475. In modern usage, the term fuck and its derivatives are used as a noun, a verb, an adjective, an interjection or an adverb. There are many common phrases that employ the word as well as compounds that incorporate it, such as motherfucker and fuck off.

A fleeting expletive is a non-scripted verbal profanity or obscenity expressed and broadcast during a live television broadcast or radio broadcast. The term appears primarily in discussions of United States broadcasting law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Doocy</span> American journalist (born 1987)

Peter James Doocy is an American opinion correspondent and a Senior White House correspondent for Fox News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Farenthold</span> American politician (born 1961)

Randolph Blake Farenthold is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Republican Party, Farenthold co-hosted a conservative talk-radio program before beginning a career in politics. Farenthold served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 27th congressional district from 2011 until his resignation in April 2018 in the wake of reports he used public funds to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit and had created an intensely hostile work environment for women in his congressional office. Upon resigning, Farenthold pledged to reimburse the US$84,000 in public money that he used to settle the lawsuit. He later reneged on his pledge to repay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tan Chuan-Jin</span> Singaporean politician

Tan Chuan-Jin is a Singaporean former politician and brigadier-general. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), Tan served as Speaker of the Parliament between 2017 and 2023, and as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade GRC from 2011 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Balakrishnan</span> Singaporean politician

Vivian Balakrishnan is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Cashew division of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC since 2006, and previously the Ulu Pandan division of Holland–Bukit Panjang GRC between 2001 and 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Watters</span> American political commentator (born 1978)

Jesse Bailey Watters is an American conservative political commentator and television program host on the Fox News cable television network. He frequently appeared earlier in his media career on the political talk show The O'Reilly Factor with commentator/moderator Bill O'Reilly and was known for his man-on-the-street interviews, featured in his segment there of "Watters' World", which became its own show in 2015. In January 2017, Watters' World became weekly, and in April 2017, he became a co-host of the roundtable series The Five. Watters became host of his own program Jesse Watters Primetime on the Fox News Channel in January 2022.

A political gaffe is a mistake or blunder in speech or action made by a politician that attracts media attention and public scrutiny. While often unintended, political gaffes can have significant consequences, as they may reveal the politician's personal views, highlight misunderstandings of key issues, or showcase perceived flaws in character. The concept includes different types of errors, from factual inaccuracies to statements that expose internal beliefs not intended for public consumption. Gaffes are commonly exploited by opponents and media as part of "gotcha" journalism, which often focuses on the blunder rather than substantive political issues. The rise of social media has further amplified the impact of political gaffes, enabling rapid distribution and increased scrutiny.

Donald Trump <i>Access Hollywood</i> tape Recorded discussion between Donald Trump and Billy Bush in 2005

On October 7, 2016, one month before the United States presidential election, The Washington Post published a video and article about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and television host Billy Bush having a lewd conversation about women in September 2005. Trump and Bush were on a bus on their way to film an episode of Access Hollywood, a show owned by NBCUniversal. In the video, Trump described his attempt to seduce a married woman and indicated he might start kissing a woman that he and Bush were about to meet. He added, "I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything." Many commentators and lawyers described such an action as sexual assault. Others argued that the remarks were an assertion that sexual consent is easier to obtain for the famous and wealthy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Huckabee Sanders</span> Governor of Arkansas since 2023

Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee Sanders is an American politician serving since 2023 as the 47th governor of Arkansas. Sanders is the daughter of Mike Huckabee, who served from 1996 to 2007 as Arkansas's 44th governor. A member of the Republican Party, she was the 31st White House press secretary, serving under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019. Sanders was the third woman to be White House press secretary. She also served as a senior advisor on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Sanders became the Republican nominee in the 2022 Arkansas gubernatorial election and won, defeating Democratic nominee Chris Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public image of Joe Biden</span> Public perception of U.S. politician Joe Biden

Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, has been in the national spotlight for over half a century, ever since he won his first election to the United States Senate in 1972. Biden is seen as a figure with the tendency to commit gaffes. His capacity for empathy has been noted, as has his tendency for exaggeration. Biden's approval ratings as president started strong, but declined after the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021. As the oldest president in US history, Biden's age and health have been the subject of discussion, with some polls finding the issue a subject of concern to a significant majority of Americans. A long-standing parody of Biden by The Onion, popular during his time as Barack Obama's vice president, is thought by some to have contributed positively to his public image.

References

  1. "hot mic". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 22 August 2021. a microphone that is switched on, especially without the speaker realizing
  2. "How Joe blow turned Scott Muller into a nobody". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 May 2003. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  3. Transcript, Media Watch, 26 June 2000, Media Watch , Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 26 June 2000. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  4. Boulware, Jack (5 December 2000). "Breasts across British Columbia". Salon.
  5. Hughes, Graham. Buzzle.com. 27 April 2004. "Big Ron's big gaffe [usurped] ." Accessed 30 August 2006.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Webster, Nick. Mirror.co.uk. 18 July 2006. "Oops! More gaffes you weren't meant to hear." Accessed 20 August 2006.
  7. Fahrenthold, David A. (7 October 2016). "Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  8. Canham, Matt; Burr, Thomas (8 October 2016). Utah Gov. Herbert and Rep. Chaffetz pull Trump endorsements, Huntsman says Trump should drop out after explicit video leaks, Salt Lake Tribune .
  9. "Donald Trump Defiant as Top Republicans Flee Candidacy". NBC News. 8 October 2016.
  10. Flanagan, Jeffrey. The Kansas City Star. 21 March 2006. "Former Metro Sports anchor has slip of tongue on ESPN." Accessed 30 August 2006.
  11. ABC News Australia. 8 August 2006. "Dean Jones sacked over 'terrorist' slur." Accessed 30 August 2006.
  12. BBC News. 30 August 2005. "CNN says sorry for live mic gaffe." Accessed 30 August 2006.
  13. Kerry O'Brien loses it on Aussie TV, The 7.30 Report, Australian Broadcasting Corporation via YouTube, 13 August 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  14. Thielman, Sam (22 May 2008). "WNBC shuffles news anchors". Variety. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  15. Kaplan, Don (26 September 2012). "Sue Simmons tells 'Joy Behar: Say Anything!' she cried in the final days: 'I didn't think it was going to end, but it did'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  16. "Sue Simmons Wants to Know What the F**k You Are Doing". New York Magazine. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  17. Sue Simmons explains why she dropped the f-bomb. YouTube. 17 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  18. "Anchors Floored After Mic Picks Up Ernest Borgnine's Shock Secret to Long Life". Breitbart.tv. 14 August 2008. Archived from the original on 14 August 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  19. "Eva Jinek NOS Journaal Boobies, knoopjes, moeder en meer. Reactie in De Wereld Draait Door". YouTube (in Dutch). 3 March 2009. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021.
  20. "Sky Sports presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys attacked after microphone picks up sexist remarks". Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  21. "Harvey Dahl apologizes after a penalty for swearing". 19 December 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  22. "Open mike: No fine for Harvey Dahl's rant". 23 December 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  23. "ABC host makes awkward open microphone gaffe". Nine News . January 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  24. "CBC apologizes after Olympic commentator says Chinese swimmer 'went out like stink, died like a pig'". National Post . Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  25. Pickman, Ben. "Reds Broadcaster Uses Anti-LGBTQ Slur on Air, Replaced Mid-Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  26. Planalp, Brian (20 August 2020). "WATCH: Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman uses homophobic slur on air, apologizes". fox19.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  27. Lindbergh, Ben (29 March 2021). "How "A Drive Into Deep Left Field by Castellanos" Became the Perfect Meme for These Strange Times". The Ringer. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  28. "Reds announcer Thom Brennaman suspended after using homophobic slur". sportingnews.com. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  29. Australian TV presenter appears to call Djokovic 'a sneaky a***hole', 11 January 2022, retrieved 26 January 2022
  30. "Kremlin denies using Iranian drones in attack on Ukraine". Reuters. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  31. "Russian Ministry of Defense expert asked TV hosts not to mention the Iranian drones, thinking nobody heard him". imi.org.ua. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  32. Quinn, Allison (20 October 2022). "Russian Defense Adviser Accidentally Throws Putin Under the Bus in Live Interview". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  33. "Russia is trying to deny the supply of UAVs from Iran". Militarnyi. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  34. Davis, Julia (20 October 2022). "A great hot mic moment: the expert, member of the Russian Defense Ministry's Public Council, urges the hosts not to mention that the drones used in recent strikes are Iranian, since the authorities refuse to admit that". Twitter. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  35. Reagan, Ronald. Audio of Radio Blooper (mp3). 19 August 1984. "". Retrieved 1 September 2006.
  36. Kornacki, Steve (5 December 2018). "Bush and Dole: A political rivalry for the ages. And then that final salute". NBC News.
  37. Seattle Times
  38. 1 2 3 BBC News. 29 January 2001. "Curse of the open mic"
  39. Eric Konigsberg (9 February 1998). "Washington's Sexual Awakening". New York Magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  40. "'Is that switched on?' Top 10 on-mic gaffes". CNN . 9 November 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  41. 6 September 2000. "US networks relish Bush's gaffe". Accessed 30 August 2006.
  42. Urban Legends Reference Pages. 27 April 2004. "Major League Remark". Accessed 31 August 2006.
  43. Guardian Unlimited. 5 September 2000. "Bush makes major league gaffe". Accessed 31 August 2006.
  44. Johnson, Glen (10 November 2000). "Gore campaign tactics show divisive leadership, Bush asserts". Boston.com.
  45. "Kerry blasts 'crooked' Republicans". CNN. 11 March 2004.
  46. "Kerry: Comment aimed at 'attack dogs'". CNN. 11 March 2004.
  47. Barkham, Patrick (5 July 2005). "Chirac's reheated food jokes bring Blair to the boil". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  48. "Iemma apologises over f***wit comment" . Australian Associated Press. The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 February 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  49. Blomfield, Adrian. The Daily Telegraph . 1 July 2006. "Condi and Sergei air differences over an open microphone [ dead link ]". Accessed 30 August 2006.
  50. BBC News. 17 July 2005. "Bush lunch chat is caught on tape". Accessed 30 August 2006.
  51. CNN. 21 July 2006. "Bush, Blair laugh off microphone mishap". Accessed 30 August 2006.
  52. Myers, Steven Lee (19 October 2006). "Putin is overheard making light of rape - Europe - International Herald Tribune". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  53. "Putin's Remarks of President Katsav's Might Puzzle Israeli Delegation". MosNews. 19 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 November 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  54. Goldenberg, Suzanne (10 July 2008). "US election 2008: 'I want to cut his nuts out' - Jackson gaffe turns focus on Obama's move to the right". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  55. Adams, Richard (23 March 2010). "Joe Biden: 'This is a big fucking deal'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  56. "Gordon Brown 'mortified' by his 'bigoted woman' slur". BBC News . 28 April 2010.
  57. Carly Fiorina Open Mic Gaffe, The Early Show , CBS, 10 June 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  58. The Guardian. 8 November 2011. "Sarkozy and Obama's Netanyahu gaffe broadcast via microphones" Accessed 8 November 2011.
  59. "Barack Obama gaffe caught on microphone". The Telegraph. 26 March 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  60. Knott, Matthew (13 September 2015). "Peter Dutton apologises for microphone gaffe". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  61. Quinn, Melissa (25 July 2017). "Sen. Collins apologizes to Rep. Blake Farenthold for calling him 'fat' and 'unattractive'". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  62. Grieve, Pete (25 July 2017). "Collins, Farenthold apologize to each other after hot mic catches Collins calling GOP rep 'unattractive'". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  63. "World leaders appear to mock Trump during tense NATO summit - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  64. "Nato summit: Trump calls Trudeau 'two-faced' over video". BBC News. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  65. "Trump says calling Trudeau "two-faced" was "funny"". CNN. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  66. 1 2 "Coronavirus: Welsh health minister caught swearing about Labour AM". BBC News. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  67. Waterson, Jim; Hern, Alex (22 April 2020). "Welsh minister's mic mistake broadcasts sweary rant to assembly". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  68. Foran, Clare (3 June 2020). "Rep. Eliot Engel caught on hot mic: 'If I didn't have a primary, I wouldn't care'". CNN. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  69. Goldmacher, Shane (24 June 2020). "Eliot Engel's Hot Mic Moment: 'If I Didn't Have a Primary, I Wouldn't Care'". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  70. Moore, Elena (17 July 2020). "Progressive Jamaal Bowman Projected To Oust Longtime Rep. Engel In N.Y. Primary". NPR. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  71. Swanson, Ian (21 August 2020). "Democratic senator swears on-air at Postal Service hearing: 'F---, f---, f---'". TheHill. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  72. Kurohi, Rei (15 September 2021). "Vivian Balakrishnan apologises to PSP's Leong Mun Wai for remarks in Parliament". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  73. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Deputado deixa microfone aberto e xinga Arthur Lira: "Que filho da p..."". YouTube. 16 September 2021.
  74. Wulfsohn, Joseph (24 January 2022). "Biden calls Fox News' Peter Doocy a 'stupid son of a b----' after question about inflation". Fox News. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  75. Maegan Vazquez (24 January 2022). "Biden caught on hot mic calling Fox reporter 'a stupid son of a bitch'". CNN. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  76. Steerpike (10 August 2022). "Truss turns on the media". The Spectator . Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  77. Lynch, David; Adu, Aletha (9 August 2022). "Liz Truss caught on hot mic apologising for attacking media during Tory hustings". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  78. "South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol denies US insult caught on hot mic". BBC News. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  79. "New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern apologises for MP insult caught on mic". BBC News. 13 December 2022.
  80. "Jacinda Ardern caught on hot mic calling minor opposition party leader an 'arrogant prick'". the Guardian. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  81. "Explainer: Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin's use of 'unparliamentary language' — what are the House's rules on such conduct?". TODAY . 13 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  82. "Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin apologises to Jamus Lim for 'unparliamentary language' caught on hot mic". The Straits Times . 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  83. "Gillian Keegan apologises for swearing over school concrete crisis". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  84. "Gillian Keegan caught on hot mic asking why she's not thanked for 'f-----g good job'" (video). youtube.com. The Telegraph. 4 September 2023.
  85. Times Online. 31 March 2005. "Charles attacks 'bloody press' in microphone gaffe." Accessed 30 August 2006.
  86. "1-877-KARS-4-KIDS: Behind the Most Hated (and Best) Jingle of All Time". Noisey. Vice. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  87. "MORNING ROUNDUP: Don Imus Apologizes for Telling Kids' Charity Singer to 'Go to Hell'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 August 2016.