Top 10 Creepiest Things to Ever Happen in the Background of News Reports

To anyone worried that we may be living in the Matrix, this certainly won’t help. In this 2018 BBC clip, a woman discussing then-British prime minister Theresa May, is briefly upstaged by an alarming anomaly. As she speaks, a kid appears to warp into view behind her and then continues to walk down the street as normal. Viewers were understandably alarmed. Twitter reactions were split between those who took the segment as proof of a “glitch in the matrix” and those who compared it to something that would happen in “Harry Potter” or “Doctor Who.” In truth, it’s more likely that this “glitch” is only due to the BBC editing their interviews …but it’s fun to speculate.

It’s not uncommon for local news stations to cut to an exterior camera before a commercial, but in 2018 this Milwaukee station found that doing so put a strange sight on viewers’ screens. White lights seemed to fly erratically across a dark sky, prompting one newscaster to ask “Are those fireworks?” This theory was almost immediately debunked by their continued movement, causing the same newscaster to guess the lights may be extraterrestrial. After some research, the station eventually came to the conclusion that the objects were actually seagulls, and the light tails following them could be explained by a lag in the camera’s output. While this seems logical, it’s hard to believe that the captured image could really just be birds in flight.

London is integral to the history of association football, as the modern iteration of the game was initially codified there. So, naturally, when a UFO decided to check out a match, England’s capital city was its destination of choice. At the Women’s League Cup in 2019, viewers spotted a light that appeared to rapidly descend on the field before pausing to hover over the game. It then disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Sixty-five years earlier, Italy had its own close encounter with the unexplained when several UFOs described to look like “Cuban cigars” were seen above a Florence football stadium. In that instance, the sight was so distracting to fans that it brought the ongoing game to a halt.

Though ghosts are typically associated with the night, some are early risers, like this apparent phantom on Albania’s “Morning Club” show. In the clip, host Blendi Salaj interviews a guest as normal before being startled by the sudden movement of a newspaper. While it may initially appear that the paper was hit by a gust of wind, closer inspection reveals that only one of three papers on Salaj’s desk moved…and it was the one on the bottom of the stack. It’s almost as if someone - or something - snatched it off the table. Following the anomaly, Salaj is understandably shaken. It’s clear he’s asking the same question as everyone at home: What just happened?

Logically, if ghosts were wandering the Earth, a cemetery would be the most natural place to find them. And yet, that doesn’t make this clip from the Greenridge Cemetery in New York any less surprising. While reporting on a cemetery tour, newscaster Sam Hesler was seemingly visited by one of its residents. As she gestured to her left, a smoky figure passed behind a gravestone on the opposite side of the screen. If one assumes the ghost is from Greenridge, Saratoga County residents may have even been unknowingly treated to a modern glimpse of a historical figure from years past. The famed cemetery is known for being the final resting place of a number of authors, actors, and athletes of the 1800s and early 1900s.

Many probably wish they could pull off a vanishing act in the hectic whirlwind of an airport, but this woman actually succeeded. Or so it appears. In an airport-set news broadcast, a man is being interviewed when two women pass behind him. The two, a blonde and brunette, appear to exchange words before the blonde disappears without a trace. The easiest explanation here is that she moved to walk beside the brunette woman she was talking to, but that doesn’t account for the unbelievable amount of precision it would’ve taken to not be seen at all. Even when slowing the clip considerably, there isn’t a single strand of hair that peeks from behind the other woman.

In 2011, an earthquake rocked Japan, resulting in a devastating tsunami that led to thousands of deaths and injuries. The natural disaster was covered by outlets across the nation, including NHK World-Japan. It was in footage broadcast by this station that YouTuber Etcetera Etc. discovered a chilling anomaly. Above the wreckage, a thin line of white smoke appeared to fly in a straight line. Well, we call it smoke, but it doesn’t seem to move like any smoke we’ve ever seen. The mist-like UFO is far from the first unidentified object seen flying above the island country. Following the nuclear attacks carried out on Japan, residents have noted an uptick in sightings of aircraft that could be from beyond the stars.

In an episode of “This Morning” from 2017, the hosts seem skeptical about their guests’ claim that they owned a haunted doll - at lesat at first. The ghostly guest took on the appearance of a vintage doll, which its owner claimed attacked her husband. As the woman speaks about the occurrence, she seems too nervous to look the doll in the eye, and says she doesn’t even want to touch it. The show treats the story as a lighthearted human interest, but its hosts are briefly spooked as the doll’s chair begins to rock on its own. Although both claim not to believe in the haunting after the interview ends, Eamonn does pull back his co-host, Ruth, when she reaches to touch the doll.

When attending a live sporting event, no one wants to miss the action, but sometimes you have to step away. Whether nature is calling or you’re just in the mood for a snack, every minute spent away is a minute spent praying that nothing significant happens in the game. According to this footage of a Bolivian football match, it appears ghosts share the same sentiment. During a wide shot of the stadium, a shadowy figure could be seen running at an alarming pace across the stadium seats. Now, we admit that this footage isn’t exactly HD, but it should still be clear that the figure’s movement defies logic. It passes through people and dividers with ease before disappearing again into the crowd.

The duality of man is on full display in this spooky segment from Honduras’s morning show, Primera Edicion - also known as First Edition. In a December episode, hosts Pablo Zapata and Carlos Molina were answering viewer questions when Carlos’s glass slid across the table. Carlos himself is visibly shaken, questioning how such a thing could happen on a flat surface, while his co-host, Pablo, appears amused by the inexplicable event. While it’s possible the glass’s movement could be explained by condensation, Carlos later revealed that he felt a “chill” as it happened, and felt “traumatized” by the whole event.