"Oh, the humanity!"

[Izzy Quigley]

Here's a legend I've never seen on snopes - if it was mentioned on the old boards, please chow me.

A friend once told me that Herbert Morrison, the radio announcer who famously cried "Oh, the humanity!" while reporting on the Hindenburg disaster, was later fired as a result of that broadcast because he became emotional on the air. The Wikipedia article on Morrison says that this was an urban legend, although quite a few other sites claim that it's true. Personally I suspect it's false, but I'm curious what the other snopesters have to say.

Has anybody else heard this story, and was/is there a rule against broadcasters displaying emotion on the air?

[snopes]

Explode-a-chow

[juniper]

In my broadcasting class, we just covered this incident, and we were told the opposite, that his emotional broadcast was good for his career, and his station.

Since it was not broadcast live, but rather the next day, I would think if the station had had a problem, they could have recorded something else.

JMC

[Izzy Quigley]

Originally Posted by snopes

Explode-a-chow

Ah, thanks. Sorry about that. :o

Juniper, that's what the Wikipedia article said, too - that it actually helped Morrison's career.

[Barns & No Bull]

[Faith]

Oh, the hilarity!

[Zorro]

Oh, the insanity!

[TrishDaDish]

Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!

[Grand Illusion]

As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!

[quiltsbypam]

Mythbusters just broadcast a show about the burning of the Hindenburg and specifically about whether it was the hydrogen or the paint job that caused the fireball. IIRC, they decided that it was a combination of the two. But Adam and Jamie sure have fun when they can burn things.