A local reporter in Rochester, New York is being praised online because she was upset by sexist and racist comments by an obnoxious man in front of the camera.
Brianna Hamblin of Spectrum News 1 was setting up a live shot with her cameraman Scott Barstow when a man walked down the street talking to Hamblin.
While walking on the sidewalk, a man declared that he did not want to appear in front of the camera. When Barstow told her that they were not yet alive, the man thanked her and said ‘You look good.’
Another man walking in the residential neighborhood took the alleged compliments too far.
Local reporter Brianna Hamblin is being praised online after she was harassed by sexist and racist comments.
While setting up his live shot, a Spectrum News 1 reporter had a ‘disgusting’ encounter with a stranger who was walking through a residential neighbourhood.
‘You’re beautiful as hell,’ she told Hamblin, who said ‘thank you’ with a stern smile.
“I better not be on the motherf*cking camera,” he said, asking why he was in the area, to which he replied that he should watch Spectrum News and find out.
‘Look, so I can’t be left alone with a black woman, or a mulatto chick,’ the man said. ‘Cause I can’t bear these f*cking blonde girls.’
‘Okay,’ said Hamblin, looking at the camera. ‘We’re here. Have a nice day.’
‘You’re sexy as f*ck,’ said the man, continuing to talk to himself as he went on. Barstow zoomed in on Hamblin’s face as she slipped into an ‘oh, my god’ state.
Hamblin posted the video of the “uncomfortable encounter” on his Twitter account in a thread on Friday, describing how often such situations happen to him as a female reporter and thanking his colleague Barstow for being there.
Rochester reporter posts video of ‘uncomfortable’ encounter on Twitter
His Twitter thread went viral with 148.6K likes and 29.2K retweets in a day
He told how many times these encounters happen with him while on the job.
Other women sharing their stories of harassment commented on his tweet
Twitter users also praised Hamblin’s restraint as she walks through the situation with a stern smile and asks the person to find TV to watch the news.
After man walks far enough away, local reporter tenses as she screams ‘oh my god’
She also pointed to her co-worker and camera man Scott Barstow, who helped her feel a sense of security in the situation.
Twitter thread sparks conversation about harassment of women and black women working in the media industry
“Being hit and harassed as a woman, especially on the field as a female reporter, so happens that you learn to either roll with it or ignore it. This time it was recorded a few seconds before I hit it. There are many things wrong in this.
‘1. If you don’t want to be on camera, just avoid it or ask nicely not to be on camera. Don’t walk towards him or make a scene. Who said it was about you?’
‘2.’Oh, nowadays men just can’t compliment.’ No. The first man’s ‘You look good’ as he continued, all right. This is another guy who took it to a more disgusting level that didn’t need it.’
‘3. The audacity of the things people tell me never ceases to amaze me. Why do you think women want to talk like this? It’s not sweet by any means. It’s uncomfortable. it’s gross.’
‘4. Being a black woman in this industry has its headaches, but it’s never okay to speak up on one group of women to ‘praise’ another group. It just shows that you have a disgusting fetish based on stereotypes, which is equally racist.’
Spectrum News commented on the situation, expressing pride in the behavior of its reporter during the difficult
After thanking Barstow, he concluded the thread, writing, ‘Thank you to all who have said such things to me. I see it and appreciate it very much. To all the ladies concerned with this, I’m sorry and I want to give you a big virtual hug. Thanks for sharing your own experiences too so that men know how normal and unwanted it is.’
Hamblin’s thread went viral with 148.6K likes and 29.2K retweets in one day. She is being praised online for maintaining her sobriety as other women have commented on her thread, sharing stories of their own harassment.
Spectrum News comments on ‘disgusting’ encounter at Hamblin mediaiteWe are glad that Brianna was not alone in facing such adversity and we have never been more proud of her. She handled the situation perfectly, being calm and professional the entire time. We want our employees to feel safe and are working relentlessly towards achieving that goal.
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