CBS News Austin reporter Vinny Martorano is receiving praise from MAGA circles after he ignored a message he received from his bosses during live coverage and went ahead to cover a pro-Trump rally.
Martorano is hailed as a hero and also gets job offers should he face any adversity at his current workplace as he defies the orders of higher-ups. During the Facebook Live broadcast, a crew member handed Martorano a phone showing him a message. The reporter asked what that means? Crew members told him the office didn’t want them focused on the pro-Trump rally. “Well, I am,” Martorano said.
On camera: Americans demonstrate for Khamenei; Huge protests in Times Square in Los Angeles against the Iran war
Participants in the rally that Martorano was covering were chanting, “Thank you, Trump!” Thank you Bibi, when the United States attacked Iran and eliminated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, which led to a major escalation in the Middle East. When Martorano opened up his op-ed to the camera, he didn’t glorify the pro-Trump protests either. “There are a lot of conflicting opinions around Austin about the joint US-Israel attack against Iran that occurred earlier this morning.
He added, “Some people like this group behind me are thanking Trump and the United States government for pursuing this attack against Iran, while other people around town are saying there should be more peace in the Middle East.”
But BTS took aim at CBS Austin as MAGA activists claimed that CBS Austin was trying to suppress one side of the story. But CBS Austin publicized BTS through their social media. CBS Austin is not owned by CBS. The station, KEYE-TV, is owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest and most conservative media conglomerates in the United States. Martorano, a Ball State University journalism graduate, did not comment after it went viral. He posted videos on his social media covering protests by pro- and anti-Trump groups. “A group of people are protesting in front of the state Capitol against the recent US attack in Iran this morning, saying there should be peace throughout the world,” he wrote. “Thank you Trump. Large group of people in front of the Texas Capitol celebrating the coordinated strike against Iran early this morning. Some people I spoke to moved to Austin from Iran,” he wrote about the protest that went viral.
