Run 'n' Get 'em
Well-known member
I agree with the say/spell piece, but what if it's someone on your station's staff? A reporter I know had one of our mets say and spell his name when she was interviewing him for a hurricane prep package...
Dumbest questions ever asked on the job??
- Thread starter Sasquatch
- Start date
Run 'n' Get 'em
Well-known member
Not in the case I'm talking about b/c the next thing out of her mouth was something like "Talk like you're going to so we can get your mic level"...Eightmile said:
ntxshooter
Well-known member
How is he
I remember back during the Columbine HS shooting. A local TV reporter asked one of the parents at a presser? "How is your son doing?". "He's dead" was his response.
I remember back during the Columbine HS shooting. A local TV reporter asked one of the parents at a presser? "How is your son doing?". "He's dead" was his response.
Goldenrods
Member
While at Wal-Mart after work (wearling logo shirt)
"Do you work here?"
...and I actually have one worse than "are you with the newspaper"
Old lady says this to a reporter about a former photographer...
"Tell your reelsman to come over here"
"Do you work here?"
...and I actually have one worse than "are you with the newspaper"
Old lady says this to a reporter about a former photographer...
"Tell your reelsman to come over here"
A few weeks ago, there was an officer involved shooting at a department store shopping center. The parking lot was filled with police, ambulances, fire trucks and of course, crime tape. I had arrived on the scene soon after the occurred. I had taken shots of the scene and onlookers. Two hours had passed. One onlooker that I'd noticed when I arrived is still hanging around. During the aftermath, many people had been talking about the incident. This guy never left the area where most of the conversation/speculation had taken place. The guy turns to me asks, "what happend...?"
I told him, "JCPenneys was holding a huge "WHITE SALE" that got out of hand." He replied, "Really? No. Really?"
I told him, "JCPenneys was holding a huge "WHITE SALE" that got out of hand." He replied, "Really? No. Really?"
Natural Born Stringer
Well-known member
Never fails. Huge scene, half the FD is there, smoke pouring from the building, ladders extended, full streams going into the building, flames shooting out the windows.. you know... THIS:
and still you get Joe Sixpack walking up to you going "whut happunned?" Once, after being on just such a scene and being asked that very question at least 5 times before I had had enough. I looked at the guy and said "Elvis, man. Elvis landed on that building in a big pink UFO and blew it all to hell." He just looked back at the flames and said "Whoa...." and that was all he said to me after that. I think he was stoned.
and still you get Joe Sixpack walking up to you going "whut happunned?" Once, after being on just such a scene and being asked that very question at least 5 times before I had had enough. I looked at the guy and said "Elvis, man. Elvis landed on that building in a big pink UFO and blew it all to hell." He just looked back at the flames and said "Whoa...." and that was all he said to me after that. I think he was stoned.
Every once in a while I have to tell this one. This was in 2003 during the NFL playoff that led to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Superbowl win. I was doing some beauty shots of Clearwater Beach for the next game when this gorgeous blonde wearing a tiny bikini saw the ESPN logo on the camera and walked right up to me. She was unquestionably the poster child of every blonde joke ever told. She asked me what I was doing, I told her that we do beauty scene of the area for the pre game show, “Wow” she said “is this for next week game or for last week game?”
photogtony
Well-known member
Just last night at a plane crash where a mosquito spraying plane crashed in a mess in the middle of swamp land a reporter for one of the other stations asked the PIO what the plane crashed into, she kinda cocked her head and reaplied "um, the ground"
woodsiecam
Well-known member
ha
probably my favorite one...
i was standing outside a jail, waiting for a perp walk, and a woman walking by says "How come you guys only come here when something bad happens?"
It had been a long day, so I admit I was a bit of an ass when I replied "Well, this is a jail, right?"
she answered "yes"
and I said "Who do they keep in a jail?"
she sarcastically replied "uh, criminals?!"
(4 seconds of awkward silence)
"oh... well it just seems like all you cover is bad stuff", and with that she was off. made my night.
probably my favorite one...
i was standing outside a jail, waiting for a perp walk, and a woman walking by says "How come you guys only come here when something bad happens?"
It had been a long day, so I admit I was a bit of an ass when I replied "Well, this is a jail, right?"
she answered "yes"
and I said "Who do they keep in a jail?"
she sarcastically replied "uh, criminals?!"
(4 seconds of awkward silence)
"oh... well it just seems like all you cover is bad stuff", and with that she was off. made my night.
Hmm..stupidest question...a lot comes to mind here, but my favorite would have to be...
I was setting up for a live shot and we had more shots than channels, so I was told to stand by. I relay this message to the producer, telling them I will power up when I get the O.K. from Master Control. To which they tersely reply, "Fine, can we at least get a mic check?"
I was setting up for a live shot and we had more shots than channels, so I was told to stand by. I relay this message to the producer, telling them I will power up when I get the O.K. from Master Control. To which they tersely reply, "Fine, can we at least get a mic check?"
filterblue
Member
We had an assignment desk person who wasnt the brightest. Some one heard over the scanner that there was a construction accident.. some one was ran over by a bobcat..so the desk person called the game fish and wildlife.. I was sitting out cleaning out my gear bag cuz i just got a new one and a p.a came over and grabed my wireless cube and asked if it was my flash for my camera??? go figure
PhotoDread
Member
My reporter and I are at a crime scenen where a body was stuffed into a chimney on top a school. It's the middle of the summer and the body is smelling up the whole neighborhood. Not at all green, my reporter asks the PIO "How do you know it's a body?"
stargazer
Active member
Back in the 80's, I worked with a reporter from Southern California. She wasn't that brite, and we worked in Tennessee. She was asking a good ole boy farmer about protesters not wanting him to sell his land because it had Indian artifacts on it.
Farmer: (in a heavy southern accent). I would sell, if it wasn't for these damn indian arrowheads.
Reporter: Excuse me!
Farmer: The indian arrowheads...there all over the place.
Reporter: Sir, what do you have against Indians?
Farmer: Nothing maam.
Reporter: Then why do keep calling them airheads?
I didn't shoot the interview, but saw the tape. It was amazing and great fun at the Christmans party.
Farmer: (in a heavy southern accent). I would sell, if it wasn't for these damn indian arrowheads.
Reporter: Excuse me!
Farmer: The indian arrowheads...there all over the place.
Reporter: Sir, what do you have against Indians?
Farmer: Nothing maam.
Reporter: Then why do keep calling them airheads?
I didn't shoot the interview, but saw the tape. It was amazing and great fun at the Christmans party.
RichVid
Well-known member
I can't tell you how MANY times this happened to me during the time I shot with a POS 3 CCD handycam (which was good enough for stringing) in the field when I'd run up to a shooting or some other bloodbath/crash/fire whatever (from the local gentry):
"Hey...what channel you with?"
Like I said, I'm carrying either a VX2000 or GL2... with no fancy attachments or anything...just the little cam and maybe sticks sometimes...and an onboard lite...
And they think I'm with a CHANNEL? Hahaha maybe there ARE VJs in this market!?!
"Hey...what channel you with?"
Like I said, I'm carrying either a VX2000 or GL2... with no fancy attachments or anything...just the little cam and maybe sticks sometimes...and an onboard lite...
And they think I'm with a CHANNEL? Hahaha maybe there ARE VJs in this market!?!
krazycamera
Well-known member
Rocking up to the big police/fire cordon in a van with seven foot L-I-V-E letters screaming accross it.
Dish up, cables spewing onto the pavement, generators fired up, camera cabled up and pointing at the reporter with her mic and serious note pad.
"so is that gonna be on the news later tonight?"
"no ma'm it was live"
"so 6pm then?"
And of course, like everyone else "wot paper youse from" but add in also, the idiots that walk through the 'radiation' safety tape in front of our transmitter's path and say "you caint stop me itsa public space" D'oh! Good on ya buddy.
Dish up, cables spewing onto the pavement, generators fired up, camera cabled up and pointing at the reporter with her mic and serious note pad.
"so is that gonna be on the news later tonight?"
"no ma'm it was live"
"so 6pm then?"
And of course, like everyone else "wot paper youse from" but add in also, the idiots that walk through the 'radiation' safety tape in front of our transmitter's path and say "you caint stop me itsa public space" D'oh! Good on ya buddy.
Tippster
The Fly on the Wall
D minus. Lame effort. Try harder next time. Maybe they were republicans and have no idea where anything outside the Bible Belt is located.natspop said:
As to the reporter asking the Lax coach about his season - that's what's wrong with journalism these days. She should have done her homework, especially if it's an unfamiliar subject, be it a sport, occupation, incident, whatever. You don't walk up to say a foreign dignitary and ask what they do - it makes you look stupid.
Dumbest thing I've heard this month:
"'Scuse me, what building is that?" - Some NASCAR Tshirt wearing Mom holding her bucktoothed kid pointing at the White House.