Watch the video: TV breakdown – troublemaker gets up close and personal with reporter, then the tide turns.
This TV report in the US state of Massachusetts goes differently than expected.
WHDH 7News reporter Grant Hermes reports after a hockey game in Boston.
Suddenly a man storms into the picture and grabs the reporter from behind.
“Yeah, boy!”
“Don’t do that, buddy.”
Hermes chases away the troublemaker. But what seems like harmless fun to some is serious business to the reporter.
After the incident, Hermes posted the video of the situation on Twitter. The clip is viewed more than 450,000 times, shared and commented on by numerous users. He writes about this:
“I’m doing well. My cameraman is fine. But I want to make it clear how wrong such behavior is. The people you see on TV are at work, in a job where we regularly receive threats. If you yell at us, walk into the picture, or touch us, we won’t know what you’re up to.”
The reporter was relieved that the man was unarmed and had no ill intentions. The point, however, is that such people also exist.
Numerous users and colleagues expressed their solidarity in the comments WHDH 7News reporter Grant Hermes. The man’s behavior was not right – that was the overwhelming opinion of X users (formerly Twitter). One user even demands that people who behave like this be held accountable in court. Others, however, use the clip as an opportunity to remember similar TV moments and live mishaps from the past.
With a third tweet, Hermes addresses all potential troublemakers:
“Next time you think about getting your three seconds of fame at the expense of a reporter. Leave it alone.”