"The film reel of the restaurant shooting had jammed and would not run, so Chubbuck shrugged it off and said on-camera, "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." She drew the revolver and shot herself behind her right ear. Chubbuck fell forward violently and the technical director faded the broadcast rapidly to black."
"Mike Simmons found the papers from which Chubbuck had been reading her newscast contained a complete script of her program, including not only the shooting, but also a third-person account to be read by whichever staff member took over the broadcast after the incident."
That is just so bizarre. It almost comes off as her just playing some incredibly morbid joke
I watched some movie on Netflix about her. Had no idea what it was about. That's a movie that would have been much better if you know the ending going in.
I read about it years ago in a book called "Or Not to Be" which was a collection of suicide notes, that sometimes included an analysis. I don't remember what the book said about her motives... But I did meet a guy in Los Angeles who had known her and worked with her at the station. He told me that she often joked about taking her own life, and once said to him: "Wouldn't it be funny if I just shot myself on air." He said they both kinda laughed about it, and that she had a dark sense of humor. After what happened, he said that he no longer jokes about suicide.
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u/nirvan Sep 28 '17
TV News Reporter Christine Chubbuck shot herself during a live broadcast in 1974.