TV presenter sets fire to Paris Hilton story live on air

[TheMoog]

TV presenter screws up and sets fire to Paris Hilton story live on air

TV presenter screws up and sets fire to Paris Hilton story live on air | the Daily Mail


A US television news presenter refused to lead her bulletin with the latest Paris Hilton story, then screwed up, shredded and attempted to set fire to the script on air.


Mika Brzezinski, co-presenter of MSNBC's Morning Joe programme, refused to read out the story of the celebrity socialite's release from jail ahead of items on Iraq and developments at the White House.

A clip showing the presenter's stand has been viewed more than 250,000 times on the popular video website YouTube.

Scroll to the bottom to see the clip
Mika Brzezinski attempted to set the Paris story alight in a show of disgust at it being the top news story


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It shows Ms Brzezinski repeatedly refusing to read the Hilton script and arguing with her co-presenters about its place as the lead item.

She told viewers: "I hate it and I don't think it should be our lead.

"I just don't believe in covering that story, at least not as the lead story on the newscast, when we have a day like today."

Ms Brzezinski, whose father is Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former national security adviser under Jimmy Carter, first screwed up the script and refused to read it.

Scroll to the bottom to see the clip
The enraged newsreader ripped the story to shreds


Then, on the next bulletin, she refused to read it again, took a co-presenter's cigarette lighter, and tried to burn the script.

Later, she refused to read the script for a third time and took it straight to the shredder in the studio, where she fed it into the machine.

When producers played images of Hilton leaving jail, where she served her sentence for a probation violation after her drink-driving conviction, Ms Brzezinski was shown with her head in her hands as the cameras returned to the studio.

The YouTube video attracted hundreds of comments on the website.

"Mika, you're the best!!!" wrote one viewer, and another said: "Someone should give her a medal."
Scroll to the bottom to see the clip
Brzezinski screwed the report up into a small ball - but the Paris broadcast went ahead anyway

Another said: "This lady has some serious balls and some serious morals. People like her make me proud to be an American."


However, others have questioned whether the entire incident was scripted.

Hilton, 26, told CNN's Larry King Live show early yesterday that she wanted to help her fellow inmates, do more work for charities, and said that partying would no longer be the "mainstay" of her life.

Watch the video of Ms Brzezinski Paris Hilton protest here

[PurpleHaze]

Very cool! Most just would have read the story even if they would have thought the same thing but she actually voiced her opinion.

[LizaMarie]

They were showing this on TV here in the UK, it is absolutely brilliant

I love this woman

[Sleuth]

well i was going to say she should quit if she cant do her job but i just watched the clip on youtube and she is completely right. I don't really know the context of the show whether serious or not but having a Paris Hilton story as the top story when there are more serious issues is ridiculous. Celebrity gossip does not belong in the news as the top story.

[varty]

I love this woman, don´t really know who she is ..but I just LOVE her

[Sweetie]

She's such a rebel....

[HWBL]

Finally SOMEBODY who's got an ounce of sense left!

[Chilly Willy]

Hopefully she started a trend.

[kingcap72]

Now that was reality television at it's finest! It's always good to see a fellow journalist use some common sense.

But it was funny how Joe Scarborough and the other guy kept trying to talk about Paris. And the look on Mika's face when they were done showing the Paris footage was classic.

[RevellingInSane]

This will actually motivate me to use my television again!

[Sweetie]

I can find the humor in it but I feel like she acted VERY immaturely.
I could see this on the Daily Show or another station that does the news in a playful way but on MSN . I bet the exec's. do not like this either...it was very unprofessional and tacky.

[RevellingInSane]

I can totally understand why a journalist would burn the story on MSN. These people have studied and hones their skills to bring real news to the people and they are being relegated to covering a low rent porn star wannabe?

If you were the CEO of a company, would you want to answer phones and sort mail?

[kingcap72]

^^True it may have been unprofessional, but she was making a valid point. Why should a news program be leading with Paris Hilton as a top story? Not in a world when we have a corrupt President, an illegal war killing soldiers in Iraq, and a host of other more serious issues going on.

The fact of the matter is that it's the news directors that are being unprofessional because they've forgotten what real news is suppose to be. Now when Paris gets elected to Congress then that'll be worth leading with. But, then again, the hell freezing over story will probably get eclipsed by Paris too.

[RevellingInSane]

^^Exactly. I was pissed! The last three months have been the bloodiest in the history of the "war". Questionable leadership decisions are being brought to light seemingly every day. The four horsemen seem to be on a neverending ride around the world, but this famous drunk, pothead, twinkie licking, saggy assed slut is the top story.

I applaud this woman and hope others follow suit.

[Sweetie]

Oh, I don't think anyone should report on Paris, except maybe the E! channel, haha, BUT it is still very unprofessional for a news anchor to whip out a cigarette lighter on the air and try to burn a report.