Minnesota TV reporter fired for wearing Trump hat at rally

[pstokely]

Source: AP

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A southern Minnesota television reporter who wore a "Make America Great Again" hat to a Trump rally that he was covering has been fired.

James Bunner was a multimedia journalist for KTTC-TV in Austin. He wore the hat Thursday while covering President Donald Trump's appearance in Rochester and images of him wearing the hat began appearing on Twitter.

News Director Noel Sederstrom says the station does not allow staff members to cover stories while wearing apparel from political campaigns. Sederstrom says Bunner was fired Friday.

Bunner doesn't have a listed phone number and didn't immediately return a social media message seeking comment Friday.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-tv-reporter-fired-for-wearing-trump-hat-at-rally/495312541/


probably his audition for faux state news

[Different Drummer]

1. At a minimum, I'm sure he will be on Fake News Network soon...

yammering about how unfair KTTC was to him.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

2. Hey, it's their work place policy. Makes sense.

It wasn't his personal time. He was on the job. I'm sure some Republicans will try to warp this and act like the station was attacking his freedom of speech.

[pstokely]

5. they are already on the station's facebook page

many of those aren't even in Minnesota

[Liberal In Texas]

3. "Multi-media" journalist.

Too many TV stations are hiring unqualified people as reporters. If someone can run a camera and know how to stream video they turn them into reporters because it's cheaper than hiring a real journalist and have them go out with a photographer and sometimes even a sound engineer and a producer.

[pstokely]

4. common in small markets

young reporters don't stay long in those places, they move on and another inexperienced reporter takes their place

[Liberal In Texas]

6. It's happening more and more in larger markets too. n/t

[Snake Plissken]

7. He should have known it's their policy, but it might have been an innocent mistake on his part

He may have been wearing it the way reporters will wear a sport teams hat when covering a game to make it easier to interact with the crowd, or in this case not to be attacked by the crowd.

Personal I wouldn't be caught dead in one, but I wouldn't have fired him, I would have just told him not to do it again or he will be fired.

[Liberal In Texas]

8. He should have known better. He's supposed to be a journalist, not a sports commentator.

I suspect the guy is a Trumper wearing an obviously partisan hat. His political views should not be on display. If he was wearing it to pretend to be one of the tribe, he was also completely wrong. If he was afraid of what the crowd might do to him, he is in the wrong job.

[Snake Plissken]

9. That is what I don't know, he could be just one of those goofy reporters who tried to fit in

Or you could be right, he could be a political hack, but if this was his only offense I wouldn't have fired him for it, I would have told him if it happens again he will be fired.

However if we wore that to a Trump protest, of a democratic rally, then there would be no question about it and I would have fired him.