A TV reporter had the perfect response for a sleazebag after he smacked her bottom during a live broadcast.
Alex Bozarjian, a reporter for WSAV, was covering a local charity running race in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday, December 7.
As countless nearby joggers playfully photobombed her piece-to-camera, one guy takes it way too far by slapping her arse.
You can check out the video below:
The reporter is clearly and immediately affected by the slap, stunned to silence initially before managing to carry on.
Later, on Twitter, Bozarjian came across the clip after user @GrrrlZilla posted it on her account, writing: ‘Check out this jerk smacking a @WSAV reporter’s ass live on air.’
Bozarjian retweeted the video, writing:
To the man who smacked my butt on live TV this morning: You violated, objectified, and embarrassed me. No woman should EVER have to put up with this at work or anywhere!! Do better.
Since posting on Saturday evening, Bozarjian’s tweet has gone viral, racking up more than 634,000 likes and 171,000 retweets. The clip itself has also been viewed a whopping 9.2 million times.
Thousands have replied offering their support to the reporter and condemnation of the runner, with Emily Block of The Florida Times-Union writing: ‘This is disgusting. Sending strength and solidarity your way. Now, let’s get this grimy dude and warn the women in his life.’
Caitlyn Penter, a journalist at ABC News 13, also replied: ‘DO NOT TOUCH REPORTERS. Period.’
The Savannah Sports Council has since responded to the clip, with its director Robert Wells writing: ‘This will not be tolerated at our events. Glad we have race bibs and photos for easy identification.’
In a series of tweets, the council’s account wrote:
Yesterday at the Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run a reporter from WSAV was inappropriately touched by a registered participant of the event. Our title sponsor, Enmarket and the Savannah Sports Council take this matter extremely seriously and fully condemn this individual’s actions.
Yesterday afternoon we identified him and shared his information with the reporter and her station. We will not tolerate behavior like this at a Savannah Sports Council event. We have made the decision to ban this individual from registering for all Savannah Sports Council owned races.
The council also replied to Bozarjian directly, writing: ‘Alex, please know that this behavior will not be tolerated and proper action will be taken once the individual has been identified.’
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.