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Philly reporter shot with pellet gun during live shot

By MixDex Article may include affiliate links

A Philadelphia reporter was shot with a pellet gun during a live shot.

Shawnette Wilson, a reporter for WTXF in Philadelphia, was on air live for a story when a series of soft sounds can be heard. Small objects are also visible bouncing off her.

“OK, so, somebody just hit me with pellets obviously,” she told viewers and the anchors back in the studio, before continuing with the tail end of her report.

Wilson is being praised for keeping her cool but also for the annoyed reaction glance she gives to the unseen shooter.

It did not appear Wilson was hurt in the incident.

It’s not clear if Wilson was with a videographer at the time or if the person who allegedly fired the pellets at her was tracked down.

Traditionally stations have sent reporters with at least one other person who sets up the live truck, operates the camera and serves as a sort of unofficial guard against nearby troublemakers or hazards, as well as protecting the expensive equipment. In extreme cases, some networks or stations hire private security or request assistance from local law enforcement for crews.

More stations, however, are dispatching reporters into the field without anyone — requiring them to set up the camera and report live in front of it with no one behind it.

Advances in technology also mean that live shots can be done without the traditional microwave or satellite truck.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for reporters, with or without anyone with them, to become the targets of on-air pranksters and troublemakers.

Reporters have been grabbed on air and had things thrown and yelled at them.

Sometimes live shots also attract the attention of hecklers or people who goof around behind the reporter. While these situations are typically not as dangerous, it is still considered disrespectful of the reporter and crew, who are just trying to do their jobs.

In some cases, the perpetrators of these incidents are tracked down and face criminal charges.

There have also been rising rates of TV news crews having gear stolen from them or their vehicles vandalized.

Journalists were also targeted by Trump supporters during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

All of these trends are making it increasingly difficult for reporters and visual journalists to do their jobs safely.

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