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In this morning's breakfast buzzing, everyone's been talking about that Investigative Reporter in San Diego this week. This was incredible, to see, attacked by the people he was trying to interview for a story. Ah, the good news is he's going to be ok, but it got us thinking about all the other reporters who unwillingly become part of the story that they are covering. We warn you our piece this morning has some pictures that might be hard to watch.
"That's not appropriate. " "I don't give a "
Investigative Reporter John Mattes is still recovering from that brutal attack. He sustained cracked ribs, bite wounds and cuts to his face. (Get the camera)
But he's certainly not the first reporter who'd been roughed up (...your hands off me)while trying to shake down someone up to no good.
"I’ve been hit in the face a number of times, I've had guns pulled on me, oh, you know, and I've had threats relayed to me that were very specific and very real by dangerous gangsters. "
While trying to uncover a bogus charity event in Dallas in 2003, ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross, had more than he bargained for.
"They took me, slammed me, you know, knocked me against the wall, my nose was bloody, and all I was thinking was 'Did we get that shot? ' ah, that's all I could think of before I sort of like, sort of dawned on me what'd happened. "
And Brian may have gotten off easy. There're some reporters who've been punched, even kicked in the face, threatened with weapons.
"We are on a public sidewalk, sir, you'd better put that gun away! "
And chased by bulldozers. This local reporter in Luther Kentucky was held up against a wall by the neck, then put into a headlock. And then there're other celebrity run-ins.
There was the musician Bjork, arriving at an airport for a tour in Thailand, (Welcome to Bangkok..) went after a reporter who simply said "Welcome", and it is not just in the field where these types of attacks can occur, they can happen in the relative safety of the studio.
And one of the most memorable reporter run-ins involves ABC's John Stossel and a professional wrestler. "I think this is fake. ""You think it's fake? ""What's that? Is that fake? huh? What the hell is wrong with you? That's open-hand slap? Ah? You think it’s fake? "
I was doing consumer reporting. And I was constantly going up to people and saying why you are a crook? And I always worried that I would get beaten up or shot or stabbed, because I was challenging people's livelihood, but it never happened until this one lunatic beats me up, for my saying something that most everyone knows is true anyway.
These altercations, including this week's case in San Diego, might have some viewers asking why put yourself at risk?
I don't think we should be cowards about it, I don't think there is a story worth losing your life for. But I don't think the thought of that should keep you from doing stories. He didn't do anything wrong, he just did his job.
Makes you think how difficult it is to uncover a fraud when you are out there, and one of these investigative reporters would be
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