January 24, 2014 11:00am by David Farrar

A leak involving TV3

Stuff reports:

An online broadcast of the Prime Minister’s state of the nation speech took live streaming to a whole new level after a reporter treated viewers to, er, a stream of his own. 

3 News Political Editor Patrick Gower needed a toilet break after John Key’s speech today but forgot something – his mic was still turned on.

Listeners – thankfully there was no camera in there – were treated to an unmistakable tinkling sound.

Gower was taking it all in good humour, dubbing the incident “leakgate” and said “it could have been lot worse”.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of leaks in my time, but this is the first time it actually involved me taking one. 

“I was caught short, I admit that but I will say this: It could have been a hell of lot worse.”

He offered his apologies to anyone who might have been affected by leakgate. 

Gower is closing the door on a ministerial inquiry.

“I blame technical difficulties that were beyond my control,” he said.

“I am responsible but not to blame. For that reason, I have decided against a high-powered and wide-ranging inquiry.”

That would be a leak inquiry.

This also happened once to a CNN reporter, but worse her toilet break was broadcast on top of a speech by President Bush where she dissed her sister in law.

But probably the worst ever accidential open mike:

Oh dear.