Viewers hit back online after NewsNation aired an “Oxygen Remaining” countdown during its Wednesday coverage of the missing Titan submersible.
The submersible went missing Sunday after launching off the coast of St. John’s, Newfoundland, where it began its descent to the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the North Atlantic. NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield discussed various theories about the missing sub during her 10 p.m. show, such as sea creature interference, while the countdown feature ticked closer to six hours of oxygen remaining for the five passengers onboard the Titan.
NewsNation criticized after showing an “oxygen remaining” countdown pic.twitter.com/JwIFsBrA2f
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) June 22, 2023
Twitter users called the countdown feature “totally insensitive” and “so disgusting and disrespectful.”
“Whoever ordered that chyon should be suspended at the very least. Totally inappropriate,” user Jeff Storobinsky tweeted.
“[L]ike this isn’t a countdown to new year’s eve… peoples lives are in danger?” one user wrote, while another accused the network of “counting down like it’s the Super Bowl man wtf.”
“The oxygen levels on the Titan submersible have always been an essential and important part of this story,” a NewsNation spokesperson said about the feature, according to the New York Post. “Multiple media outlets have published or aired stories tracking the remaining oxygen on the Titan as the search continued, including the New York Post. In fact, it would be irresponsible not to include this information in the story of the rescue effort.”
The clock was removed for the second showing of Chris Cuomo’s show at 11 p.m., the outlet reported.
The Titan is believed to have run out of oxygen as of Thursday morning, given its initial reservoir of 96 hours’ worth of breathable air. The U.S. Coast Guard said at around noon Thursday that it had discovered a “debris field” in the search area for the missing sub. (RELATED: ‘Dangerous Environment’: Titanic Expedition Leader Holding Out Little Hope For Lost Submersible)
The search continues for the five passengers: Pakistani business mogul Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, both of whom are British citizens; billionaire British explorer Hamish Harding; Titanic researcher Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO and pilot Stockton Rush.