US3 min(s) read
Published 16:18 25 Jul 2021 GMT
A woman has taken to social media to call out the "disgusting" treatment of female reporters while working out in the field.
Sharing the unsettling moment to Twitter, Spectrum News 1 reporter Brianna Hamblin was preparing for a TV broadcast from Rochester, New York. However, with the camera rolling and Hamblin waiting for her report to begin, she was approached by two men making unsolicited comments about her appearance.
One can be heard saying she looks "nice", and the other went on to say she was "beautiful as hell".
Looking uncomfortable by the comments, Hamblin did her best to ignore the men and responded with a swift "thank you", as she begins to look at her cell phone.
However, her attempts to not engage with the second man were not received, and instead, he continued to disrupt her and ask why she was on television. Hamblin jokingly responded that he should "go find a TV and watch Spectrum News" - but this prompted him to make yet another inappropriate comment.
"See that’s why I can’t be left alone with a Black woman," he said - adding a racial slur referring to individuals who are of mixed African and European descent.
In an attempt to bring the unwanted conversation to an end, Hamblin told the man: "All right, we are done here. Have a great rest of your day". But the man did not take the hint, and instead said: "You are sexy as f***".
Sharing the clip to Twitter, Hamblin wrote alongside it: "Being hit on and harassed as a woman, especially as a woman reporter out in the field, happens so often you learn how to roll with it or ignore it. This time it happened to be recorded only seconds before my hit. There are A LOT of things wrong with this."
She added in subsequent tweets: "The audacity of the things men say to me never ceases to amaze me. What makes you think women want to be talked to that way? In no way is this endearing. It’s uncomfortable. It’s gross."
"Being a Black woman in this industry has its own headaches, but talking down on one group of women to “praise” another group is NEVER okay. It just shows you have a disgusting fetish based on stereotypes, which is just as racist," she added.
After amassing over 4.9 million views on the social media platform, Hamblin has received an outpouring of support - with many other reporters and journalists speaking out against her treatment.
Fox4 reporter Lynnanne Nguyen replied to the video saying: "To everyone surprised at this behavior, I promise you this does not shock a single female reporter. Happens to us all the time."
And ESPN reporter Jenna Laine commented: "Women are well aware of the harassment other women face in the field. But not everyone recognizes that Black women can be targeted and put in an even more vulnerable position.
"We must exercise more vigilance as colleagues. We must do a better job of looking out."
CBS meteorologist Andrew Baglini even went on to decalre: "If I was a woman, I would have been out of this industry a looooong time ago. I've seen, read, and heard some of the things you deal with, but I'm guessing I only know 5% of it. But that 5% is enough to drive me away. You're way stronger than I am. Sorry doesn't begin to cut it."
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us2 min(s) read
Published 11:54 07 Sep 2021 GMT
A female sports reporter has taken to social media to share footage of the moment she was 'violated' by football fans.
Lyndsey Gough, a Sports Director for the Georgia-based CBS-affiliated television station WTOC11, was on-hand during the fallout from the NCAA Clemson Tigers v. Georgia Bulldogs game on Saturday.
However, with her camera rolling, Gough was approached by several fans who could be seen crowding the reporter.
Taking to Twitter following the incident, Gough wrote to her 7,700+ followers: "Got all kinds of violated during my first live hit by fans."
She added: "I am ok folks. I was startled and frazzled but we recovered."
The reporter then shared a video of the moment she was approached by fans, along with the caption: "After the first guy touched me I started rolling... this isn't even all of it. So uncomfortable. Can we please respect people's space."
In the footage, a first man can be seen approaching Gough and saying "Hello" to the camera. The reporter responds by telling him: "Please don't touch me."
A visibly uncomfortable Gough can then be seen attempting to continue with her broadcast, but she is swamped by celebrating fans.
"Please don't touch my equipment. Please don't," she tells them.
Gough can then be heard asking somebody off-camera: "How long do I have?"
"How long do I have? I've gotta move... Okay, I can hear you, but I'm moving," she adds.
After posting the footage to Twitter on Sunday, it has since amassed over 960,000 views. Many of Twitter users who flooded Gough with praise for how she handled the situation.
"I nearly had a panic attack watching this. If a male reporter were standing in the same place, those men would have given him space while they drunk-yelled at the camera. Unacceptable," one person responded.
Podcast host Kimberley Johnson added: "Terrible behavior from men thinking they have the right to touch strange women and invade their space. There is no justification, so I will not blame the reporter."
Fellow reporter Zoie Henry tweeted: "I don’t understand why people think because they see a camera set up they can act irrationally. This is our job, no one comes to your job invading your space or acting crazy thinking it’s funny."
And fellow sports reporter Brett Alper replied: "I couldn’t finish watching this because it made me uncomfortable. I’m so sorry Lyndsey. Do better people, my god."
world2 min(s) read
Published 12:22 20 Jun 2018 GMT
Everyday sexual harassment is tragically something that a lot of women are forced to put up with. Whether it's the builder catcalling at you on your way to work, or your boss consistently making lewd jokes at your expense, it's not acceptable and needs to be stopped.
But you know what the difficult thing with 'casual' incidents like these is? They're normally here and gone within the blink of an eyelid. Almost every woman out there will admit that, a lot of the time, when a stranger assaults you in the street, it seems time-consuming and futile to report the incident, so you're bound to continue with your day as if nothing ever happened.
However, a light was shone on behaviour like this recently when a sports reporter was sexually harassed on camera. This time, the fleeting harassment was not to be forgotten and led to outrage from people across the world.
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Columbian reporter Julieth Gonzalez Theran was doing a live World Cup broadcast in Saransk, Russia, for German news channel Deutsche Welle, when she was interrupted by an unidentified male.
Footage of the broadcast shows the man approaching Theran - who was busy explaining to the camera that she was standing in front of the World Cup countdown clock - grabbing her by the breast, kissing her on the cheek and walking off. Amazingly, the sports reporter completely keeps her cool and continues with her report like a true professional, despite having just been assaulted.
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She later took to Instagram to discuss the shocking situation, claiming - quite rightly - that she did not deserve the treatment she received.
"I was there for around two hours preparing my things and nothing happened to me," she wrote. "But when we were live that man took advantage of it. He came at me, gave me a kiss and he touched my breast. I had to continue, afterwards I tried to see if the man was still there but he had left. We do not deserve this treatment. We are equally as professional and deserving. I share the joy of football but we must identify the limits between affection and harassment."
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She was certainly not alone in her outrage. Dozens of people commented on her post, venting their frustration that she was put in that situation. "That’s NOT ok!!! A guy can’t walk up to someone he doesn’t know and kiss and grope her. He took advantage of her being on TV. He should go to jail. Just because she is a beautiful reporter doesn’t give him the right to do what he did," wrote Instagram user mtfbwy1976.
Fellow Instagrammer pjcai also commented, posting: "To those idiots who say this is not at an attack, just an affectionate kiss, and he inadvertently touched her breast - you're full of crap. No way could a woman go kiss a man and grab his crotch on live TV."
We can only hope that drawing attention to disgusting incidents like these sends out a powerful message that this behaviour is not - and will never be - acceptable.
us2 min(s) read
Published 09:43 09 Dec 2019 GMT
Fun runs are all about having a good time, trying to beat your PBs, and, most importantly, raising some money for charity. However, one male participant in Saturday's Savannah Bridge Run 10K has left a rather sour note on the event, after slapping a TV reporter’s bum live on air as she was reporting about the race.
Georgia station WSAV-TV was on-site for the race, with reporter Alex Bozarjian addressing the viewers as delighted joggers ran past and gestured at the camera. But one runner - wearing a hat and sunglasses overstepped the boundaries when he leaned down and smacked the Bozarjian's behind, leaving her visibly shocked and momentarily speechless.
Check out the disgraceful moment in the video below:
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Despite the disturbing turn of events, Bozarjian was able to compose herself and continue with the broadcast.
One stunned viewer who watched the incident tweeted: "We watch @WSAV in our house every single morning. Their staff is like extended family to us. I'm furious about this."
Alex Bozarjian has since responded to the incident, writing on Twitter: "To the man who smacked my butt on live TV this morning: You violated, objectified, and embarrassed me. No woman should EVER have to put up with this at work or anywhere!! Do better."
Bozarjian's tweet has since been retweeted over 170,000 times at the time of this writing, and 'liked' more than 630,000 times.
Of course, this is far from the first time a female news reporter has been harassed on live TV:
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Robert Wells, director of the Savannah Sports Council who organizes the charity run, responded to the reporter's tweet and vowed to find the runner, writing: "Alex, what happened today is 100% unacceptable. You have my assurance we will identify him".
Caitlyn Penter, a journalist for North Carolina TV station WLOS, also tweeted out her support for Bozarjian, simply writing: "DO NOT TOUCH REPORTERS. Period."
A representative from the Savannah Police Department has since told NBC News that authorities have spoken with Bozarjian regarding the incident, confirming that they will be supporting her. Department rep Keturah Greene said:
"All I can say is we have made contact with Alexandrea and we are definitely going to be working with her in any capacity on how she’d like to move forward with this incident."
us1 min(s) read
Published 18:49 11 Dec 2019 GMT
Earlier this week, footage emerged of a reporter seemingly being assaulted live on-air as she was covering a charity run.
The incident took place at the Savannah Bridge Run in Savannah, Georgia, where 23-year-old WSAV-TV reporter Alex Bozarjian was covering the event. As she did so, a man in a hat and sunglasses appeared to slap her backside as he ran past, and while she managed to regain her composure while working, she took to Twitter afterward to slam him for his actions.
To see the moment the reporter was slapped on the behind, check out the video below:
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The 23-year-old reporter wrote on Twitter: "To the man who smacked my butt on live TV this morning: You violated, objectified, and embarrassed me. No woman should EVER have to put up with this at work or anywhere!! Do better."
"He took my power, and I'm trying to take that back," Bozarjian told CBS News. "I think what it really comes down to is that he helped himself to a part of my body."
Because the clip was public, people online then went on a mission to identify the man, Inside Edition has reported. He was identified as 43-year-old Tommy Callaway of Statesboro, Georgia, as a result of the number on race his bib.
Check out Callaway's interview below:
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Now, he has spoken out about the incident, telling Inside Edition that he did not intend to assault the 23-year-old. Instead, he had planned to wave at her camera, but he missed and accidentally touched Bozarjian. He said:
"I was caught up in the moment. I was getting ready to bring my hands up and wave to the camera to the audience, there was a misjudge in character and decision-making. I touched her back; I did not know exactly where I touched her."
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In an interview with CBS News, a Savannah police spokesperson said they were willing to work with Bozarjian to address the situation in a manner she feels is appropriate.
Sadly, this is not the first time a female reporter has been subjected to this kind of behavior:
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Callaway's attorney Joseph Turner released a statement on Monday night saying that his client "did not act with any criminal intentions."
"Tommy is a loving husband and father who is very active in the community. We have been in touch with WSAV and representatives of Ms. Alex Bozarjian, as well as members of Savannah law enforcement. We do not expect any criminal charges to arise from this incident, and we are working with those involved to correct the situation."
lifestyle4 min(s) read
Published 16:00 30 Oct 2021 GMT
A woman has been praised for the way she reacted to a male gym-goer who she claims had been "harassing" her for months.
Taking to TikTok to share the encounter, 20-year-old Chelsie Gleason - who goes by the handle @justchesslee on the social media platform - captioned her video: "being a female is fun".
She wrote over the 53-second clip: "I was just trying to workout when this happens... I've never met this guy and he's been harassing me for months... this time I kept my headphones in and tried to ignore him."
The video - which has since amassed over 20 million views - shows Chelsie lifting weights at a Crunch Fitness gym. However, a man starts to hover around her, before approaching her.
Chelsie kept her earbuds in for the majority of the video and ignored the man, but after he gets too close, she moves away and shouts: "Don't come near me."
Her alarming video has also received more than 35,000 comments from people praising the way Chelsie stuck up for herself and wasn't afraid to cause a scene.
"Notice how fast he walked away when you brought attention to the situation he knew he was in the wrong," one person commented.
A second commented, "Ladies: don't ever be afraid to be loud and cause a scene if a man is making you uncomfortable."
A comment from the official Gymshark TikTok page read: "The gym should be a safe space for everyone. We're sorry it hasn't been for you lately. Proud of you for sticking up for yourself!"
In an update to her story, Chelsie has revealed that the staff at Crunch Fitness had been "very helpful" in dealing with the situation.
She added that the man was identified and was banned from the gym.
In a follow-up video, she shined more light on the situation, saying: She said: "When I first had an interaction with this guy, he was, he seemed like just a random nice guy that would come up and talk to people in the gym.
"After weeks and weeks and weeks of this happening, you know, it started getting a little weird. Like, why is he approaching me, I've already told him, you know, leave me alone. I don't really need your help. I don't really want your advice. I'm not asking you for anything. Just kind of leave me alone."
Speaking about how the man started to become threatening to her, she added: "So a couple of weeks ago, we had a really horrible interaction with him. I was with some of my girlfriends working out and he came up to us and I was just like, dude, just f**k off. Leave us alone. We don't want to talk to you. I don't want to talk to you. I've told you before just f**k off.
"And he called me crazy, called me a b***h, literally got all defensive. He would follow me around areas of the gym, just make weird comments to me harass me, and a lot of my gym brothers, they would have my back, they made sure that I got to my car safely."
In a second video, she added: "When I got to the gym last night, they informed me that he tried to come back and the police were called and he was arrested. And they found he already had a warrant out for stalking another girl.
"So but there you go, that's pretty much it. He's in jail. Now he's kicked out. He's banned, everybody safe."
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