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Alex Barrett
Aug 31, 2017
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BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
ABC news' chief national correspondent was the target of a backlash on Tuesday after he notified police about "looting" in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston.
Tom Llamas been following the hurricane and providing ongoing coverage for the broadcaster.
We're anchoring @ABCWorldNews from Houston. The epic flooding and non-stop rescues. So many still trapped https://t.co/deRPGYQBNa— Tom Llamas (@Tom Llamas) 1503869266
He tweeted a photo of a scene which showed people obtaining supplies.
The text of his tweet read:
We informed police of the looting and Coast Guard is flying overhead. Multiple officers now on the scene.
Users were less than receptive to tweet:
@TomLlamasABC fuck off, snitch— Brandy Jensen (@Brandy Jensen) 1504026497
Llamas later attempted to clarify his tweet:
Let me clear this up–we were w/police who had discovered a dead body & mentioned we saw ppl w/faces covered going i… https://t.co/bAQ08qIHB5— Tom Llamas (@Tom Llamas) 1504031184
Llamas, it seems, didn't report a crime with the police by phoning them through traditional methods, he merely mentioned it to officers with whom he was already interacting as part of his job.
Some remained unconvinced:
@TomLlamasABC What did you imagine the hungry people were taking from the grocery store? Big-screen TVs?— Mark Harris (@Mark Harris) 1504031664
Hey Tom Llamas how about calling on price gouges and not stores that can't even sell the food anymore due to being flooded out?— K voss (@K voss) 1504035345
@TomLlamasABC So you saved a corporation's rapidly spoiling tax write-offs from starving human beings? I'm sure you… https://t.co/t10t0Uv0qW— Big Bad Bionic Boy (@Big Bad Bionic Boy) 1504025200
@TomLlamasABC Tom, don't listen to these people. It was very brave and right of you to put property ahead of flood… https://t.co/LOHowpOZEU— Jon Tayler, Top 0.1% On OnlyJons (@Jon Tayler, Top 0.1% On OnlyJons) 1504028166
Many reporters have refused to aid law enforcement officers in a similar capacity on the basis their duty is to report news, not to assist police. People also have debated whether taking supplies in the midst of a disaster such as a hurricane is definitively "looting".
HT Yahoo
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