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Tag: reporter

  • Erin Andrews Gets Payback From Basketballer Marshall Henderson

    They say that what goes around comes around. And that’s certainly the case for Marshall Henderson who waited two years to get back at Erin Andrews.

    After Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson was suspended from the team for a failed drug test, the FOX Sports reporter took a jab at the player and tweeted “He mocking anyone now?” along with a link to a news report.

    The NCAA rebel promptly fired back and warned Andrews that he’ll be remembering that particular burn with his tweet “@ErinAndrews ima save that and you will be the first person ill mock.

    The suspension did hurt Henderson’s NBA dreams and for the next two years, he played in other countries, most recently in Baghdad, Iraq. But he was apparently quietly biding his time all along, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

    And that opportunity happened when Andrews’ NHL player boyfriend Jarrett Stoll was arrested for having cocaine and ecstasy on his person on April 17.

    The L.A Kings player was caught with 3.3 grams of cocaine and 8 grams of the substance known as Molly during a security check at the WetRepublic pool party.

    Henderson was quick to capitalize on the issue and took to Twitter to take a jab at the Dancing with the Stars host.

    While Henderson might find the incident amusing, it’s a good bet that Stoll is not laughing as the incident could hurt his already dwindling prospects with the L.A Kings. The athlete has been on a downwards spiral and had a career low of 17 points in 73 games this season.

    Going back to Henderson, it seems his quest for vengeance has already been sated. His tweet has already been removed from his feed.

    It’s so refreshing to see that not everyone has a short memory these days.

  • Diane Sawyer And Filmmaker Michael Nichols: A Beautiful Romance

    Well known director Mike Nichols passed away on Wednesday, November 19. The death was confirmed by ABC News President James Goldston. According Goldston, the Nichols family will be holding a small private service this week. Nichols, who directed The Graduate and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, is known for his wit and his penchant for brilliant dialogue as evidenced by his films and the plays that he worked on in the past. In 1988, Nichols married Diane Sawyer and they were together until his death.

    Nichols and Sawyer met back in 1986 in the Concord lounge at the Paris airport. Nichols introduced himself to Sawyer, who was traveling with her mother. “I knew before he spoke, I knew before he was walking across the room,” Sawyer said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar last year. “I knew something was happening, and maybe it’s that beautiful hallmark. Cue the violins? But I knew my life was changing.” Nichols, who has been divorced three times prior to meeting Sawyer, was smitten right from the start.

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nichols talked about the same encounter. “She was hiding in the lounge because she hadn’t done her hair or something. I found her and said, ‘You’re my hero.’ And she said: ‘No, you’re my hero. Do you ever have lunch?’ She wanted to interview me for 60 Minutes. I pretended that I was up for it, and we had about 14 lunches,” he said.

    The couple never had any children together, but Sawyer helped raise Nichols’ children from a previous marriage. Throughout their 26 years of being married, the couple remained as romantic as ever. Sawyer told People, “He’s generous and adventurous and a little wild and utterly kind. It’s that combination of something you’re completely sure of and something dangerous and interesting. And he’s also the funniest man on the face of the earth.”

  • Arwa Damon and CNN Sued for Anchor’s Biting Attack

    We’ve all been there before – You’re at a party after a long, hard week at work and it’s finally time to let loose. You have a beer or two, and then another, and another… Until you wake up the next morning and have no clue what happened during the past 48 hours. And, because we’ve all been there, no one judges those people when that state hits them. However, CNN anchor Arwa Damon seems to have taken the post-work stress-relief binger a bit(e) too far.

    On Monday, TMZ broke the news that CNN and Damon were being sued by two EMTs due to her actions at the US Embassy in Baghdad in July. After having one (or several) too many drinks, Damon became unruly and violent. Authorities were called to assist with the situation, and things only went downhill from there.

    While trying to assist Damon, EMTs Charles Simons and Tracy Lamar claim to have been bitten by a “seriously intoxicated” and violent Damon. Instead of apologizing for her actions or attempting to rectify the situation, Damon then allegedly threatened the paramedics, stating that she “was a major reporter for CNN.”

    On Monday, CNN stated that “We are not aware of the alleged lawsuit and therefore have no comment.” Today, however, a CNN representative stated, “We are aware of the lawsuit and are looking into it.”

    The news has to come as a shock to CNN, who considers Damon one of their best reporters. Damon has been employed at CNN since 2006, during which time she has covered many stories in the Middle East. Earlier this year, Damon was awarded the Courage in Journalism Award by the International Women’s Media Foundation. The foundation stated that “Regardless of the constant shelling and sniper fire during her last trip to Homs, Arwa Damon’s persistence, strength and focus on bringing forth what needs to be known in order to help document history, has her standing tall amidst the rubble.”

    While Damon nor CNN have admitted guilt yet, an apology emailed by Damon to the embassy staff seems to be an admission of guilt:

    It’s been an extremely stressful time, I was exhausted, I had not had proper food all day and clearly miscalculated how my body would handle the alcohol consumed … Needless to say, I am utterly mortified and take full responsibility for my actions, which are inexcusable.

    I am being filled in on the details of my behavior. I am beyond embarrassed. My actions and words were entirely out of my character, and I hope that everyone can at some point forgive me.

    So once again, I am apologizing and extending my thanks to all that were involved in ensuring that I am, thankfully, in the end, taken care of and physically at least OK. Everyone was extremely professional and courteous in the face of my unjustified behavior.

    Both paramedics are seeking $1 million in punitive damages.

    Image via YouTube

  • Anna Politkovskaya: Justice Not Served?

    Anna Politkovskaya: Justice Not Served?

    For the family of slain investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, the sentencing of five men deemed responsible for her death did not leave them with any sense of closure.

    Instead, the trial and sentencing has left one very important question unanswered: Who led the conspiracy to kill her?

    The Ukrainian journalist was known for her outspoken opinion on topics ranging from the corrupt Russian government to human rights issues.

    She also pushed the envelope on the sensitive topic of Chechnya. Politkovskaya was determined to bring to light the things that others in Russia desperately wanted to remain secret.

    In such circumstances, it becomes increasingly dangerous for an investigative reporter in Politkovskaya’s position.

    The 48-year-old woman was gunned down on October 7th, 2006 in the lobby of her apartment in Moscow.

    The death of Politkovskaya created a national scandal. Many Russians were outraged by what they believed to be a government-orchestrated hit on the reporter.

    Nearly eight years later, five men were sent to jail for killing her.

    Pavel Melyokhin, the judge in the case, sentenced Rustam Makhmudov to life in prison for shooting Politkovskaya. His uncle Lom-Ali Gaitukayev was given the same sentence for providing logistics. Three other men were sent to jail with sentences ranging from 12 to 20 years.

    And yet, at no point were any of these men fingered as the one who masterminded Politkovskaya’s brutal death.

    Said her son Ilya, “I will be satisfied only when the person or people who ordered this will be sentenced.”

    The defendants exchanged smiles, which must have been severely unnerving to Politkovskaya’s family.

    Who smiles as they are sentenced to spend the rest of their life behind bars?

    It has been revealed that the victim in this case is one of 23 reporters that has been gunned down in Russia since 2000. Politkovskaya is one of five lost to the Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian paper.

    The Novaya Gazeta is performing its own investigation into the circumstances of her death.

    Image via YouTube

  • Snowplow TV Reporter: Wave of Snow ‘Videobombs’ Live Standup

    Some snowplows take snowball fighting a little too far.

    During a live TV coverage Monday morning in Salem County, New Jersey, one of Philadelphia’s local reporters was crushed by a wave of snow.

    WTXF-TV Fox 29’s Steve Keeley was reporting about the trendy snowstorm hitting the east coast when a snowplow swept by, striking him with a heavy load.

    In the video, Keeley starts his morning report as usual, speaking on the details of the weather and what necessary procedures the snowplows are doing to minimize the amount of snow on the streets.

    He then, for some reason, moves closer to the street. As the cameraman shows footage of snowplow trucks passing by, the reporter is all of a sudden engulfed in snow.

    Despite the minor videobomb, Keeley continues to talk as if nothing even happened.

    Watch Keeley get hit by massive snow:

    What a trooper!

    According to Fox 29, Keeley is a “pro” at his job because aside from the hard hit,  “he didn’t even miss a beat.”

    The station stated how Monday’s live coverage was the “15th snowstorm Keeley has reported on this winter.”

    The veteran reporter made light of the situation by jokingly saying that a rival reporter from another station may have sabotaged his live coverage.

    He even went on Twitter and posted a funny comment about plows and cows:

     


    Keeley told Good Day Philadelphia’s Mike Jerrick that he’s more than certain that this incident would make him a YouTube sensation. 

    “You know I’ve spent my whole time here, ever since the invention of YouTube, I have done everything I could to avoid being a YouTube star, and I think that hit will be on YouTube.”

    Unfortunately, Keeley will not hold the title as the first reporter uploaded to YouTube following a snowplow incident. However, he may be the first one to go viral.

    Seven years ago, a WWTV Michigan journalist was nearly knocked out by a snowplow truck while reporting in a similar fashion.

    Check it out here:

    Future reporters, use this as a bit of advice: do not report so close to the roadways-especially when snowplows are present.

    Image via Youtube

  • Tom Brokaw: Newsman Reveals He Has Bone Cancer

    Tom Brokaw released a statement via NBC News regarding his diagnosis. Brokaw, 74, was at the Mayo Clinic when he received the diagnosis for multiple myeloma last August. In his statement, the NBC news veteran of nearly 50 years reassures the public that his “prognosis is good.”

    Brokaw kept his bone cancer diagnosis a secret from the public for several months, while he underwent treatment for his condition. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects the bone marrow, via the blood cells within it. In the statement that NBC News released, Tom Brokaw reveals his progress since beginning treatment has been very encouraging.

    Brokaw began working at NBC news in 1966. He became a special correspondent for NBC News, since stepping down from his role as the anchorman of NBC Nightly News in 2004. After the diagnosis last summer, Tom Brokaw continued his work on several News projects for NBC. The news veteran made appearances on MSNBC, “Meet the Press”, “Nightly News with Brian Williams” and “TODAY”. He also worked on the two-hour JFK assassination documentary for NBC. He continues his work for NBC News as a contributor to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics NBC Sports coverage.

    In the more personal side of his statement, Brokaw states that the support he has been getting from friends, family and his medical team has been exceptional. He goes on to say that he is very positive about his work, his life, and he looks forward to the “adventures still to come.” He believes that he remains “the luckiest guy I know.” He continued his statement with expressing his gratitude for the interest people were showing regarding his medical condition. The statement ends with Tom Brokaw’s request for understanding, as he expressed his wish to be able to continue treating his situation with privacy.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jessica Sanchez is Declared Cancer-Free and Returns Back to WKMG

    Traffic reporter Jessica Sanchez at WKMG-Channel 6 will be returning back to work following a one-year struggle with cancer.

    If you’re unfamiliar with Sanchez, you may remember the very outspoken journalist for her controversial response to a drunk interviewee during a live Superbowl report last January 31 in New Orleans.

    In the video a young female, who is obviously under the influence, interrupts Sanchez’s live standup. In response, the annoyed TV journalist informed the lady that her report was on STDs and asked if she ever had any.

    Of course the news report went viral and Sanchez received a mix of backlashes and support for how she handled the “videobombing.” Thus, WKMG saw something in her that others did not and she continued forward with her position as a traffic reporter.

    Sanchez was later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in which the station announced to the public in March 2013. In April she shared her story during a live broadcast.

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    Now, after extensive treatment and chemotherapy, the 33-year-old is said to continuously receive negative test results. Her oncologist has diagnosed her condition to be cancer-free.

    WKMG’s General Manager Skip Valet reported to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper that he is “pleased to announce that Jessica Sanchez continues to get positive news from her doctors” and looks forward to her returning on a part-time schedule.

    Sanchez, who is so excited about her reunion with WKMG, plans to come back to her job sometime next week.

    Since Sanchez is still reassessing her energy level, the station authorized her to start behind the scenes so she can retrain with new equipment and slowly build her way back up to being an on-air reporter. (image)

    “They want to see how I do with all of that. I want to go back and go back for good. I think it’s the best way to go back in part time and get used to everything,” she told the newspaper.

    One of the things Sanchez is most concerned about is reprogramming her body to wake up in the early morning hours for work. Besides that, she is more than ready to readjust to all the changes that have occurred since she has been away.

    As for the station, Valet confirms that they are more than sure that Sanchez is ready to start back work again.

    “It feels so good to say I see the light again,” she stated. “I see normal again.”

    The cancer-survivor plans to broadcast her return next week during an on-air newscast segment.

    Check out the “videobombing” report below:

    Images via Facebook, Facebook

  • Mitt Romney Ridiculed For Having Black Grandson

    MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry attracted outrage on MSNBC Sunday’s airing of “What’s So Funny About 2013?”  Harris-Perry and her guests poked fun at Mitt Romney’s black grandson pictured in a Christmas photo.  The photo features Romney and his extended family which includes baby Kieran, who was adopted by Romney’s Son Ben and his wife Andelynne.

    The panel of comedians and liberal pundits on the show took the opportunity to turn the photo into an uncouth political joke.

    Actress Pia Glenn added, “One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just isn’t the same,” in reference to baby Keiran. “And that little baby, front and center, would be the one,” Glenn said.

    “It really sums up the diversity of the Republican party, the RNC. At the convention, they find the one black person,” jested comedian Dean Obeidallah.

    Melissa Harris-Perry is an African-American herself and her show normally focuses on black issues. Harris-Perry added to the joke by saying that she looked forward to a wedding between North West (Kanye West’s daughter) and Kieran Romney in 2040. For many viewers the “joke” was in poor taste and not very funny. Some have even called it racist.

    Sarah Palin wrote in her Facebook page that the joke was despicable because the “media hounds” were expressing a prejudice and not an opinion. “This latest attack from the Left is despicable,” she said.  She further mocked them by calling them “yellow journalists” who needs to find a conscience.

    Glenn was defensive in her response to a critic but she later apologized through her Twitter account, “In a spontaneous reaction to a photo, my disdain for Mitt Romney’s political platform led me to inadvertently insult adoptive families … I can say all day what I ‘meant,’ but my intentions do not negate the very real pain I have caused. I sincerely apologize.”

    Obeidallah also later apologized in a statement to CNN and Harris-Perry took to Twitter to express her regret as well.

     

     

    Was this “joke”  in poor taste? 

    Image via YouTube

  • Sam Donaldson’s DUI Case Dropped

    Sam Donaldson’s DUI Case Dropped

    The veteran ABC News anchor Sam Donaldson has been acquitted for lack of evidence. On Friday, a judge dismissed the charge facing Donaldson saying that he was arrested and charged without a “probable cause”.

    The judge, while dismissing the charge, said that the arresting officer’s report was incomplete and improperly administered. Referring to the records from the traffic stop, the judge noted that the records “give the court pause as to the accuracy of the information the court has received.”

    This comes as great relief to the 79- year-old Donaldson who was seen profusely writing notes during the hearing. At the end of the hearing, the jubilant former anchor said that he was “clearly happy it turned out this way.” He said, “I’ve never been a defendant in a case before.” Donaldson was pulled over on December 1, 2012.

    During the witness testimony presented by arresting officer Katie Couchman of Lewes Police Department, the court heard that Donaldson was driving on the shoulder of the road, to the right of the westbound lane, and when approached, he smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot, and glassy. But when Donaldson was asked why he was not driving on the roadway, he said that he thought he was. However, many inconsistencies were noted in the report leading to the dismissal.

    Donaldson worked as ABC White House reporter between 1977 and 1989 and then again from 1997 to 1999.  Donaldson has had career in broadcasting dating back from 1952.

    (image via Wikipedia)

    source delawareonline.com

  • News Crew Attack: Woman Charged With Assaulting Reporter

    Earlier this week, a reporter and cameraman for Providence, Rhode Island’s ABC 6 news station were attacked by a woman while attempting to question her. The woman’s daughter was shot during a recent graduation party, and the suspect in the shooting had just been caught. When asked how she felt about it, the woman threw a rock at the cameraman, brandished a bat at the crew, and sent two dogs to attack the newswoman.

    The newswoman, Abbey Niezgoda, received a tetanus shot for a dog bite and then filed a police report against her attacker, 35-year-old Melissa Lawrence. Now, Lawrence has been charged in connection with the attack.

    According to a Providence Journal report, Lawrence now faces two felony assault charges for the attack. She reportedly wore a shirt reading “My Attitude is Your Problem” to court on Wednesday, where not guilty pleas were entered on her behalf. She has been released on personal recognizance and forbidden to contact Niezgoda or the cameraman.

    The entire incident was caught on video, leaving little doubt that Niezgoda attacked the news crew:

    ABC6 – Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

  • News Crew Attacked by Upset Parent in Rhode Island

    A Rhode Island news reporter was attacked this week while reporting on a recent shooting.

    Abbey Niezgoda, a reporter for Providence’s ABC 6, reported this week that she was questioning the mother of a girl who was shot at a weekend graduation party when the attack occurred. When asked how she felt about he daughter’s shooter being caught, the woman, named Melissa Lawrence, became violent and threw a rock at the the ABC 6 cameraman. Lawrence then brandished a baseball bat at the news crew before sending two dogs to attack Niezgoda.

    Niezgoda’s report emphasizes that the news crew was never on Lawrence’s property, and that they were attacked while standing on a public street. Niezgoda received medical attention for a dog bite on her forearm before filing a police report against Lawrence. The ABC 6 report states that police are currently obtaining a warrant for Lawrence’s arrest.

    ABC6 – Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

  • Scarface Actor Dies; Mario Machado Was 78

    Scarface Actor Dies; Mario Machado Was 78

    Mario Machado, a Los Angeles TV reporter famous for portraying reporters in movies, has died at the age of 78.

    According to a Los Angeles Times report, Machado died at a convalescent facility in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. His daughter stated that he had died from complications of pneumonia, and that he had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

    Machado was born in Shanghai in 1935 and was educated in the U.S. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1956 and became a U.S. citizen in 1965. Machado made an name for himself as a TV reporter for local Los Angeles news stations such as KCBS and KNXT in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. He was one of the first Chinese-American on-air news reporters in the U.S. Machado was also the host of Medix, a medical investigation show for which he recieved Emmy Award nominations.

    Machado also became famous for playing news reporters in movies. He played the role of Casey Wong in the RoboCop movies, the co-host of the fictional call-in news program Mediabreak. Machado also played the role of a reporter in the movies Brian’s Song, Rocky III, and Scarface. He continued his on-screen appearances into the 90s, when he appeared in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 as an awards host.

  • Dave O’Hara Dies; Sports Reporter Was 86

    Longtime Boston sports writer Dave O’Hara has died at the age of 86.

    According to a report from the Associated Press, O’Hara died of cancer at his home in Winter Haven, Florida.

    O’Hara spent 50 years writing for the Associated Press. Much of that career was spent in Boston, where he covered sports, including the Celtics, the Red Sox (including the infamous ‘Buckner’s folly’ incident during the 1986 World Series), Ted Williams, and Larry Bird.

    According to the AP, O’Hara began his career in 1942 as a copy boy in the AP’s Boston bureau. He was 15 at the time. Aside from his time in the Korean War and a short stint covering Milwaukee sports in the early 60s, O’Hara covered Boston sports and became the AP’s New England sports editor in 1965. O’Hara retired in 1992

  • CNN And The “N” Word: When Do Quotes Cross The Line?

    CNN and reporter Drew Griffin came into a negative spotlight last month when Griffin, while reading a quote on-air during a report about a federal hate-crime, said n**ger but censored himself on the word f**king.

    “At the end of this, Deryl Dedmon is laughing with his friends and actually called on a cell phone and, pardon my language but there’s no other way to say this — ‘I just ran over that f—ing nigger,’ that’s what he said. And it was a clear-cut case of pure racial-intent murder that took place there, which is why it was so easy to apply the hate crime legislation in this case,” Griffin said. He was reporting on a Mississippi case in which 3 men were charged with a hate crime after brutally beating and running over a black man.

    The fact that Griffin apparently thought it acceptable to use a racial slur but not a curse word angered many, but the backlash didn’t keep another reporter from using the word on-air yesterday during a report about the Tulsa shootings of five black men, three of whom died from their wounds.

    While reading from a Facebook post made by the suspect, reporter Susan Candiotti quoted, “Today is two years that my dad has been gone, shot by a f–king n–ger.”

    The difference between the two is that Candiotti didn’t censor herself at all and read the quote in its entirety, prompting the question of whether or not it’s okay to include offensive words in a broadcast in the name of quoting someone else. While Griffin and Candiotti were obviously simply reading a line originally spoken by someone else, some argue that the words are still harmful and these reports just perpetuate their use; while there is no way to completely eradicate a particular word from the vernacular, it’s an opinion held by many that respected members of the news media should set an example, especially concerning a word that holds so much negativity and hurtfulness.

    Candiotti has since apologized for reading the quote uncensored, saying, “In quoting someone else’s words, I repeated their offensive and inappropriate language. I deeply regret it.”

  • CNN Reporter Uses N-Word On Live TV

    Drew Griffin, a special investigations reporter, is under fire for his use of a racial slur on air yesterday.

    Griffin, who was reporting about a recent federal case where 3 Mississippi men were charged with a hate crime for running over a black man after brutally beating him, was repeating what one of the suspects was heard saying on his cell phone:

    “At the end of this, Deryl Dedmon is laughing with his friends and actually called on a cell phone and, pardon my language but there’s no other way to say this — ‘I just ran over that f—ing nigger,’ that’s what he said. And it was a clear-cut case of pure racial-intent murder that took place there, which is why it was so easy to apply the hate crime legislation in this case,” Griffin said. “There was no question about it, unlike the circumstances involving the case in Florida.”

    The case he is referring to is that of 17-year old Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed in February by a neighborhood watch captain who claimed that Martin looked “suspicious” and that he only shot in self-defense. The case has garnered national attention and speculation that the shooter, George Zimmerman, acted out of racial motivation.

    Because the use of the word is an extremely sensitive subject, many are outraged that Griffin would use it on air but chose to censor himself with the use of the word f***ing.

    Since he was quoting someone else and wasn’t directing the slur at someone, do you think he should have used the word or not? Let us know in the comments section.