By Mita Tate

With hundreds of people tallying the election results today, I’ve decided to focus on a controversial issue that has taken the media by storm-televised suicide. No, it’s not because I think Bush will win and there will be millions jumping to their deaths, it’s because of an incident that occurred on Jan. 22, 1987, which would change the face of television and politics forever. On a cold Pennsylvanian day, the state treasurer, Bud Dwyer, walked up to the podium during a national press conference, pulled out a .357 magnum, put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger. I guess you could say he went out with a bang. Dwyer had been facing a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine for mail fraud, aiding interstate racketeering and conspiracy to commit bribery. This event was immortalized in the disturbing hit song “Hey Man Nice Shot,” by 1990s alternative rock group, Filter.

However, this was not the first time an on-air suicide had occurred. 13 years before in Sarasota, Florida, Christine Chubbock, a 30-year-old news anchor on morning talk-show “Sun Coast Digest” finished her reading of the news, then said these words that will forever be ingrained in the people’s minds who saw her that fateful day: “In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts and in living color, you are going to see another first…attempted suicide.” And with that she took out a .38 revolver and proceeded to shoot herself in the head. The “attempt” was indeed successful. Later, when her schedule was checked by the police, it was noted that she’d actually made time in the schedule for her suicide.

Possibly the most controversial case of a suicide live on television occurred in 1998 during an afternoon of children’s programming no less. Following the infamous OJ Simpson chase where helicopter news cameras followed him and a companion in a white Ford Bronco try to flee from police, a new genre of news was invented. You’ve probably seen it yourself, late at night on such reputable stations as FOX (note the sarcasm) on shows like “Cops” and “America’s Wildest Police Chases” where we follow helicopters in the heat of pursuit. Well, in May of 1998, adults and mostly children were in a for a real treat. Instead of “Looney Toons,” they got to witness the live suicide of 40-year-old Daniel V. Jones, a deranged man upset about a bad experience with an HMO that occurred ten years before. After hearing of a blocked freeway, “helicopter journalists” rushed to the scene to catch the action on camera. What ended up on video was Jones’ last moments of life. For nearly an hour, helicopters hovered above, capturing images of Jones sitting in his burning truck, talking to his dog and holding a banner that read “HMOs are in it for the money. Live free, love safe or die.” Suddenly Jones leapt from the truck, ripping off his burning clothing and finally pulling out a rifle and shooting himself in the head.

The uproar was immediate and immense. All of the stations involved, as well as broadcast journalism as a whole came under fire, and have yet to fully recover from the controversial tragedy. National news network MSNBC has added a seven-second delay due to the incident and many stations have since followed suit.

Besides being incredibly disturbing to most individuals, the idea of s-uicide and death in general is very personal in nature, and the thought of these images being broadcast for all to see can be equally disturbing to many. In 2003, German filmmakers Raul W. Heimrich and Yvonne Wunschell decided to test this theory with their shocking film Suicide-a movie about a couple who for one reason or another decided to film peoples’ suicides and broadcast them live on the internet. While the movie ended up to be a complete bust, later being re-released in the United States by trashy, B-movie distributors Troma, the film dealt with serious issues that still come up today. In fact, these exact issues came up in Oct. 2003, when a local Florida industrial band, Hell On Earth, announced a live concert in which a dying fan would commit suicide on stage at one of their shows. Immediately after hearing of this event, a Florida judge passed a temporary injunction banning Hell On Earth from performing within St. Petersburg city limits. Band leader Billy Tourtelot stated that the show would go on at an undisclosed location and that a live simulcast would be viewable on the band’s website. The site received so many hits that it went down and the webcast was cancelled. Everyone from Gov. Jeb Bush to the Attorney General became involved in the case, stating the band would be committing euthanasia (assisted suicide) and would be facing time in prison if they went through with it. On May 11, 2004, Florida Gov. Bush instated a law banning “commercial exploitation of self-murder.” As for the event, the band apparently went through with it, just as they said they would. Was it faked? Was it just a publicity stunt by an unknown band trying desperately to find a spotlight to shine on them? Judging by the other “shocking” content on the Hell On Earth official site, it probably was, but no one will ever know as the pictures on the website are grainy and reveal nothing. As for a DJ who swears he has taped footage of the event, he has never shown it and even states that all he can make out is “something that looks crazy.” You be the judge.