Local news reporter hangs his head in shame after getting busted by citizen for whipping up fear

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An incident involving a local news reporter suggests that Americans are over the sensationalism of journalism today.

Then again, after being under house arrest for better than two months watching the media’s hysteria over the pandemic, only to see them cheering throngs taking to the streets by the thousands to protest, who can blame them?

The reporter, identified online as WTAE’s Dave Kaplan, out of Pittsburgh, was trying to do a live shot when he was confronted by a man recording the encounter.

The video was shared online, as a social media user tweeted: “This will be the greatest thing you see today! I’m rollin  #FakeNewsAlert #EnemyOfThePeople.”

“I have no political agenda, sir,” Kaplan tells the man. “I really don’t — none of the people I know does either. We’re purely objective journalists.”

His antagonizer remains skeptical.

The man asked Kaplan about a popular compilation video seen online, where local reporters all around the country are seen repeating the same message, word for word.

The reporter, who is holding a mask in his hand as he engages, plays dumb, saying he is not familiar with the compilation.

“Nobody tells me what to say, sir,” Kaplan said.

As he turns toward his cameraman to do the shoot, the reporter puts his mask on.

This prompted the man, who was already mocking him over the mask, to break out laughing.

“You didn’t have your mask on the whole time, and now you’re putting your mask on,” he said, before panning his phone to show the cameraman is not wearing a mask.

Accusing the reporter of “trying to scare everyone,” he said, “Keep spreading that fear, buddy.”

After being asked more than once why he wasn’t wearing the mask before, a dejected Kaplan responded, “They’re asking us to wear it per guidelines for television, to set a good example.”

“Oh, so you’re told what to do?” the man asked.

Realizing he just contradicted himself, Kaplan is seen nodding his head.

“Exactly,” the man continued. “You just told me you can do whatever you want.”

Kaplan explained that he said he was not told what to say.

“Oh, you’re just told what to wear,” the man sarcastically countered.

After appealing to the man to let him do his job, the reporter appears to give up.

“I like filming phonies,” the man replied, as Kaplan wound up his microphone cord.

The reactions to the video were almost as good as the footage itself… here’s a small sampling of responses from Twitter:

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