“They burned him alive,” began Fox News anchor Bret Baier as his “Special Report” began extensive coverage of the propaganda video released by ISIS that claims to show the murder of a Jordanian pilot, Muath al-Kasaesbeh. Baier then warned viewers he would show a graphic image from the video (which we are not including in this story):
“Tonight, we are going to show you some of the images ISIS has put out,” Baier began. “The images are brutal. They are graphic. They are upsetting. You may want to turn away. You may want to have the children leave the room. Right now. But the reason we are showing you this is to bring you the reality of Islamic terrorism. And to label it as such. We feel you need to see it.”
The image aired on “Special Report” showed the caged pilot, standing, covered in flames. Like his fellow FNC hosts–and those on other cable news networks–Baier never considered airing the full video. But he said “we made the editorial decision this afternoon” to show the image. On Twitter, after the show aired, Baier said he had gotten “many varied responses” to the blunt opening of the show and invited viewers to share their thoughts.