This was a difficult and troubling year in many ways, and television journalists spent much of 2015 reporting the unhappiest of headlines to their worried viewers. It is somehow reassuring, then, that news anchors and field reporters alike still had ample time to utter accidental profanities, make adorable children cry, and just generally appear idiotic on the air over the last 12 months. A YouTube channel called NewsBe Funny keeps track of these lapses in judgment on a monthly basis, but the end of a calendar year seems like a good time for an annual omnibus edition, comprising 15 solid minutes of the weirdest and worst that news shows had to offer over the last 12 months. From truly whacked-out interview subjects to uncomfortable sexual innuendos to shocking revelations about Amazon’s business model, it’s all here in this supercut.
For anyone wondering why the world still needs local news shows in the 21st century, this supercut provides an answer: They are a goldmine of ridiculousness, proving that Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy was only a slight exaggeration of reality. Here, professional journalists with an abiding commitment to the truth can be found inappropriately flirting, falling over, flubbing their lines, and just staring blankly into the camera, unsure of what exactly to say or do. There are some national figures on view here, too, however. ESPN’s Hannah Storm, for instance, memorably shoved a makeup artist out of frame back in January. And NewsBeFunny even includes some international news bloopers for good measure, including one that proves saying the word “fuck” in times of distress is universal. That word belongs to the world.