Tuesday, February 14, 2012

KUSA | Anchor recovering from on-air dog bite

[Screenshot of YouTube video viewed more than 4 million times]

KUSA anchor Kyle Dyer is recovering from reconstructive surgery after a dog bit her severely on the face during a live broadcast last week -- one prompting the Denver station to ask all other local media to keep video of the incident off the air and the Web.

Dyer
Dyer received 70 stitches to her upper lip, lower lip and nose, according to an account she posted to her Facebook page over the weekend. She's expected to undergo more treatment in the weeks ahead, TVSpy said yesterday.

The dog, an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff, had been saved after falling through ice on a pond, a dramatic rescue captured by KUSA's news helicopter. He bit Dyer Wednesday on the set during an on-air appearance at the NBC affiliate that morning.

News director Patti Dennis contacted every other Denver station, TVSpy says, "imploring them not to air footage of the bite." She said its airing would be traumatic to the station's staff. However, at least one, Fox affiliate KDVR, carried the video despite Dennis's request.

In an interview with KDVR, the dog's owner complained that a local shelter has been keeping the animal quarantined for rabies signs longer than necessary because of the high-profile nature of the case.

"Wheels are turning in the background that we don`t see,'' Michael Robinson told the station in a segment posted online today.

Related: Here's a YouTube version of dog-bite video.

Earlier: In Cleveland, WKYC news director limits use of 9/11 Twin Towers video.

7 comments:

  1. It's funny how the news director asks for the video not to be shown on other stations. But you know damn well she would run the video if it wasn't her co-worker!

    Can you say censorship?

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  2. It's only news when it's about somebody else.

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  3. You can say "censorship." That doesn't make asking people to not run a video "censorship."

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  4. This has been very traumatic for the talent and all involved. You haters don't even know the half of it.

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  5. If this had involved someone else, would the station have run it? How often are news organizations asked not to run a story or video of something? And how often do news organizations cite the public's right to know as an overriding reason to deny the request?
    I'm sure the experience was traumatic for the staff. News events usually are. I'm surprised only one station opted to run the footage. Not passing judgment either way.

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  6. As someone who almost died from a dog bite as a child, I am damn happy not to have to encounter this video everywhere I turn on the web.

    What's happening with the dog?

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  7. "This has been very traumatic for the talent and all involved."

    ...and for the legal team at Gannett. Putting an 85 lb. traumatized, aggressive dog on a news set near seven-figure air talent without any safeguards or training is going to make their legal counsel choke on a caesar salad. KUSA/Gannett are pushing the entire thing off on the dog and the owner, not accepting any responsibility for creating the situation that allowed this to happen. Probably why the dog lovers and the owner are upset.

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