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'NEVER okay': Disturbing moment captured before reporter's TV cross

A news reporter has shared the disturbing interaction she had with two men just moments before she started filming.

Spectrum News 1 reporter, Brianna Hamblin, shared a video of the harassment she was subject to while out on assignment on Friday (local time).

"Being hit on and harassed as a woman, especially as a woman reporter out in the field, happens so often you learn how to roll with it or ignore it," she wrote on Twitter.

"This time it happened to be recorded only seconds before my hit. There are A LOT of things wrong with this," she tweeted, sharing a clip of the incident.

About to record in a street in Rochester, New York, Ms Hamblin is standing by while the camera is being set up.

A man is seen walking behind Ms Hamblin but it's not clear what he says. The camera man tells him they're not recording yet.

The man then appears to compliment the reporter on her appearance.

News reporter Brianna Hamblin was about to start filming for a new piece when she harassed in a now viral video. Source: Twitter/Brianna Hamblin
News reporter Brianna Hamblin was about to start filming for a new piece when she harassed in a now viral video. Source: Twitter/Brianna Hamblin

Ms Hamblin graciously thanks the man before a second man approaches her and also compliments her physical appearance.

"You're beautiful as hell," the second man says.

"I better not be on motherf**cking camera, why are you over here on camera?" he asks.

"Watch Spectrum News, you can find out — go find a TV and watch Spectrum News," Ms Hamblin responds.

However the man does not leave her alone and continues to harass her.

"See that's why I can't be left alone with a Black woman," he tells her.

He then goes on to say he also can't be left with a woman of mixed race, however used a word some consider to be a slur.

"Because I can't stand these f**king white girls," he adds.

"Okay, we are done here," Ms Hamblin says, telling him to enjoy the rest of his day, he leaves before calling out to her once again.

"You're sexy as f**k," he yells, while the news reporter looks uncomfortable.

Brianna Hamblin was harassed by a man while out in the field. Source: Twitter/Brianna Hamblin
Brianna Hamblin was harassed by a man while out in the field. Source: Twitter/Brianna Hamblin

'Disgusting' video viewed 2 million times in eight hours

The video Ms Hamblin shared to Twitter has been viewed more than 2 million times since being shared on Saturday.

"The first man’s 'you look nice' as he continued to walk away is fine. It’s the 2nd man who took this to another disgusting level it didn’t need to be," she said.

"The audacity of the things men say to me never ceases to amaze me. What makes you think women want to be talked to that way? In no way is this endearing. It’s uncomfortable. It’s gross.

"Being a Black woman in this industry has its own headaches, but talking down on one group of women to 'praise' another group is NEVER okay. It just shows you have a disgusting fetish based on stereotypes, which is just as racist."

Many people on Twitter showed their support for Ms Hamblin and were upset she had to endure such behaviour, especially while at work.

This sort of harassment doesn't just happen to news reporters trying to do their job, one woman said she had been in this situation "as a woman just going for a walk, pumping gas in my car, or walking from my car to a store".

Many women discussed how they handle these sorts of situations themselves and how they have to be cautious in their response, because sometimes these situations can become very dangerous.

In a statement to Buzzfeed, a spokesperson for Charter Communications, Spectrum News' parent company, praised Ms Hamblin's handing of the situation.

“We are glad that Brianna wasn’t alone in the face of such adversity and we’ve never been more proud of her," Shari Culpepper said.

"We want our employees to feel safe and are constantly working towards achieving that goal.”

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