A television reporter in Austin, Texas, pushed back against apparent direction from his newsroom during a live broadcast Saturday, choosing to continue covering a pro-Trump rally outside the Texas State Capitol in the aftermath of U.S. and Israeli military strikes targeting Iran.
CBS Austin reporter Vinny Martorano was in the middle of a Facebook livestream when a crew member handed him a phone displaying a message from someone off-camera.
Martorano read the message silently before asking aloud what it meant.
The off-screen staffer told him the message indicated that higher-ups did not want the broadcast focused on the demonstration taking place behind him.
Martorano did not comply.
“Well, I am,” he said, before resuming his live report without interruption.
The exchange was captured on video and spread rapidly across social media, where conservative users clipped and reshared the moment widely.
Many who shared the clip described it as an unusual glimpse into the internal decision-making of a mainstream newsroom during a politically charged news event.
The crowd gathered behind Martorano consisted largely of Iranian Americans and other demonstrators who had assembled in opposition to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Attendees carried flags and chanted phrases including “thank you Trump” and “thank you Bibi,” the latter being a reference to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The demonstration had been organized in response to the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran, which had taken place in the days prior.
During his full report, Martorano acknowledged that the strikes had generated divided reactions across Austin.
A separate protest against the military action was also taking place in the city at the same time.
“The strike is drawing a variety of opinions,” Martorano said during the broadcast.
“Some people like this group behind me are thanking [Donald] Trump and the United States government for following through with this attack against Iran – while other people across the city say there needs to be more peace in the Middle East.”
WATCH:
Reports circulating over the weekend indicated that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed during the opening phase of the strikes, a development that prompted celebrations among some Iranians both inside and outside the United States.
President Donald Trump, following the strikes, issued a public message urging Iranians to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against the regime that has held power in the country since 1979. Netanyahu similarly stated that the military operation could create an opening for the Iranian people to shape their own future.
The unscripted portion of Martorano’s broadcast drew significantly more attention online than his edited report, with conservatives pointing to it as evidence that news organizations sometimes actively steer coverage away from demonstrations of public support for the president.
