MATT LAUER, co-host:
Now to a tragedy facing
Anderson Cooper
's new
talk show
after a boy who was supposed to be a guest on an upcoming show now reportedly lies in a coma.
NBC
's
Peter Alexander
has the details on this.
Peter
, good morning.
PETER ALEXANDER reporting:
Matt, good morning to you. The show was supposed to focus on
teenager
minds and risky behavior, but went terribly wrong when a
teenager
on a skateboard was badly injured. Just three weeks into
Anderson Cooper
's new show "
Anderson
" a terrible tragedy. A source close to the show tells
NBC News
a
teenager
now lays in a coma after and "
Anderson
" producer asked the boy to record video of himself for a segment on the science of a teenage brain.
Mr. JOHN COOK (Gawker.com):
Our source says that one of the -- one of "
Anderson
"'s producers encouraged one of the teenagers to film all of the, quote, unquote, "crazy stuff" he does and shortly before they were to -- the
teenager
was to appear on the show he was injured in a skateboarding accident.
ALEXANDER:
The
teenager
, whose identity remains undisclosed, reportedly sustained a head injury after doing a trick and falling from his skateboard. The accident has many asking did the producer encourage dangerous behavior?
Mr. BRUCE WEINSTEIN (The Ethics Guy):
The principle "do no harm" applies not just to physicians and nurses, but to
TV
producers, too.
ALEXANDER:
A representative from the "
Anderson
" show released the following statement. "As part of our routine process, we ask guests for video footage and photos. We did not provide the family with a camera. We're very concerned about him and are thinking of him and his family at this time."
Mr. COOK:
One of the things my source said to me is that in -- that this accident occurred and that
Anderson
was personally, quote, unquote, "distraught" about the situation.
ALEXANDER:
But tragedies like this one aren't new to television. In
1995
, a guest on "
Jenny Jones
" was murdered after revealing on the show his secret crush on a friend. And on "
Nancy Grace
" a guest committed suicide after taping a combative interview with the host about her son's disappearance. The woman shot herself the day the interview was scheduled to air. And now as a
teenager
lays in a coma, some critics are already calling for a new standard in television.
Mr. WEINSTEIN:
Even if it is legal for
television producers
to do these sorts of things, to encourage guests to place themselves in harm's way, it's not ethically intelligent. Ethics holds us to a higher standard and that's a standard that
television producers
should be following.
ALEXANDER:
We did reach out to
Anderson Cooper
as well who released the following statement, we'll put it on the screen. It says, "I was very saddened to hear the news of this accident and want to express my deepest concerns for the
teenager
who was injured. I take this situation seriously, and my thoughts and prayers for his health, well-being and recovery are with
