An unwritten rule of broadcasting is that every microphone is on and every camera is on. The rule applies to people working in the broadcasting industry and to people being interviewed (such as politicians) by the broadcasting industry. A person could be wrong in an assumption and the microphone or camera could be on, capturing inappropriate conduct and often creating public embarrassment.
 
It’s not known when the unofficial broadcasting rule began. “I was taught that EVERY mic is live, ALL the time” was cited in print in 2006. “Treat all mics as hot” was cited in 2007. “The golden rule (every camera is hot and every mic is live)” was cited in July 2013.
   
 
Radiolists.net
[BC] It wasn’t the President this time.
Cowboy curt
Thu Jul 27 15:59:30 CDT 2006
Ya know…..
WAY back when, Marconi was a boy…..
I was taught that EVERY mic is live, ALL the time.
   
Golf WRX
Chima
Posted 18 September 2007 - 08:23 AM
Im not sure you can have it both ways. Cant have us give Dottie a break on her comments. If she really felt that way than maybe stand behind her comments, and even if it was a slip of the tongue shes been around broadcasting long enough to know one of the sacred rules:” Treat all mics as hot”... ie…..........every mic is open and on.
 
Media Masters
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Every Gun is a Loaded Gun and Every Mic Is a Live Mic
(...)
I am reminded of the first rule my father taught me about gun safety. “Every gun you touch you must treat as if it is loaded- even if you are sure it’s not.” This most important of lessons can equally be applied to microphones and cameras. Every mic is “hot” no matter what the photographer tells you. And even if you don’t see the little red light illuminated near the photographers eye piece it must be considered to be rolling as well.
   
Twitter
Joan Chang
‏@joanchang  
The mayor’s learned a valuable lesson. Assume every mic is live @WENalerts Pssst…the mic’s still on… http://youtu.be/0IDcmUQa0WM
12:31 PM - 12 Jul 10
 
Bleeding Heartland
Politics 101: Every mic is a live mic
by:  desmoinesdem
Fri Mar 11, 2011 at 08:00:00 AM CST
Members of the Iowa House Republican leadership team forgot that simple rule yesterday. 
 
Google Groups: TVorNotTV
Joe Hass  
Apr 22. 2013
(...)
Really: if you don’t operate under the theory that every mike is live, every camera is hot, and every tape is rolling, you’re probably not cut out for being talent.
 
Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT)
Digital age might make people forget to ‘assume every mic is hot’
By Andy Howell
Fri, 06/14/2013 - 4:59pm
There is an old saying in radio: “Assume every mic is hot.”
 
It was meant as a cautionary warning for broadcasters to help them avoid saying something they didn’t intend to go over the airways. Despite this warning, many professional broadcasters today still find themselves violating the principle and living to regret it.
 
Michigan Radio and TV Buzzboard
Calvert DeForest
Post subject: Re: Channel 12 “Penis” goes viral..
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:04 am
It was an unintentional oversight as far as we know. Perhaps should be reported based upon any viewer complaints, but not worthy of a fine.
 
I’ve seen much worse infractions that either were deliberate, or based upon poor judgement of someone in control (like the new anchor in North Dakota dropping an F-bomb on the open set just as the show went to air….oops!). That, I would say, was perhaps not malicious, but was at the very least, an extremely poor lack of judgement and the golden rule (every camera is hot and every mic is live). 
 
Twitter
Paul Carter
‏@Juniorc0  
@HungryHatter I *think* (and presenting fail 101) he didn’t think the mic was live and was psyching himself. Epic fail. Every mic is live.
3:08 PM - 4 Jul 13
 
Twitter
Dan Keenan‏
@DanKeenanIT  
Old adage: every mic is live. Ruth Patterson should adapt that for the internet age. There is no privacy on social networking. Hopeless case
5:30 AM - 1 Aug 13