The journalist justified his action on Twitter.
A video is going viral on social media, which shows a woman journalist slapping a boy for allegedly misbehaving during a live broadcast. According to users who posted the clip on Twitter, the incident took place in Pakistan. The journalist was reporting about the recent holiday of Eid-al-Adha, which was observed on Sunday (9 July), when the incident took place. The clip has garnered more than 400,000 views since it was posted on Monday.
The journalist can be seen surrounded by local people including women and children. A little boy in a white shirt is seen standing beside him. While she was presenting her piece to the camera, the boy raised his hand and called the other person. Though his voice is not audible, the gesture clearly enraged the journalist who slapped him.
— مومنہ (@ItxMeKarma) 11 July 2022
Several users on Twitter claimed that the boy said something for which the journalist lost his cool. Several users asked the owner of the handle who posted the video the reason for the slap, but got “DK (Don’t Know)” in reply.
The journalist’s behavior has left Twitter divided. While some users supported him, others said his actions were unnecessary.
“Yeah but who gave you the right to slap someone’s child..it’s disappointing!” A user commented. “He was upset,” replied another user.
Another user translated the post from Hindi as, “The man must have misbehaved.”
After discussion on social media myra hashmi – Journalist – offered an explanation. Ms Hashmi tweeted saying that the boy was threatening a family during the live broadcast. Ms Hashmi further said that she did not want to tolerate the behaviour.
The journalist has more than 9,800 followers on Twitter.