Geraldo Rivera newscast splattered by f-bomb

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The Fox News Channel program “Geraldo at Large,” featuring veteran news personality Geraldo Rivera, has occasionally been broadcasting from Zuccotti Park, which is the original site of the Occupy Wall Street movement. One of the occupiers was able to insert an f-bomb into a weekend broadcast of the program.


According to a report in Mediaite, Geraldo asked a protester what his goals were for the movement, and was told that the goal was to occupy everywhere because “…“a lot of people have been deeply and profoundly f**ked by the system.”

The comment was not appreciated by Rivera, nor it seems by many of the other protesters. The f-bomber was whisked out of microphone range, as a disappointed Rivera noted that protesters had promised him that there would be no disruptive language.

He was concerned that the incident might prevent future live broadcasts from the site.

According to another report, Rivera also used Zuccotti Park as a backdrop while covering completely unrelated material, in particular the disappearance of Baby Lisa.

Mediaite noted that while OWS is noted for its lack of a single unifying message, members of the group seem to be united in a general distaste for both Rivera and Fox.

RBR-TVBR observation: We haven’t noticed a major uprising of watchdog outrage yet – and that’s a good thing. This happened on cable, beyond the bounds of the rules which apply to over-the-air broadcast only, and it should under FCC precedent be considered a prime example of fleeting indecency.

Americans need access to live news, and while this particular incident may not have been the most urgent story out there, Rivera should be free to go wherever he wishes to report. Bring exposed to the actions of a lone citizen exercising freedom of speech and not particularly concerned with the ins and outs of FCC indecency policy is simply a risk, and a minor one at that, that we all must take.