MSNBC Host Regrets This 'Awful Mistake' in Network's Zimmerman Trial Coverage

MSNBC on Thursday afternoon aired a graphic and disturbing photograph of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's dead body while covering the George Zimmerman murder trial. The image flashed on the screen for about one second.

The shocking image was aired during "News Nation" with Tamron Hall. After being confronted on Twitter, including by some of her "avid" fans, over the "disrespectful" image, Hall claimed it was an "awful mistake."

"I didn't see it flash.. an awful mistake," she tweeted.

The provocative blog Gawker took notice of MSNBC's move to air the photo and published it as well. It went with a controversial headline that clearly intends to incite rage about the Zimmerman case.

"This, Courtesy of MSNBC, Is Trayvon Martin's Dead Body. Get Angry," the headline reads.

While it certainly is possible that MSNBC inadvertently aired the graphic image of Martin's corpse, Gawker knowingly posted the photo and placed the responsibility on MSNBC.

"The cable networks rely on a pool feed for trials such as this one, and oftentimes it can be difficult to censor images quickly enough so that viewers at home don’t see every last detail (or hear every curse word)," Mediaite's Andrew Kirell writes.

MSNBC's control room quickly cut to a shot of prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda after the photo of Martin's dead body flashed.

Watch the video below via MSNBC/Mediaite (Warning: Graphic content):

UPDATE:  HLN also apparently aired the photo of Martin's corpse:

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