KDFW-FOX4 has forced YouTube to pull the video of Rebecca Aguilar accosting Mr. James Walton, owner of Able Walton Machine & Welding in West Dallas with what can only be construed as ‘Ambush Reporting’ as he was attempting to get in his car and leave Academy Sports and Outdoors where he had, according to his own statement, just made the purchase of a new shotgun, This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by KDFW FOX 4 TV
Apparently Ms. Aguilar was stalking the old gentleman in an attempt to ‘interview’ him for her station, KDFW-FOX 4, the FOX Network affiliate here in the D/FW area…
Since the video has been pulled there is no way to actually show you what transpired so now it’s up to independent bloggers to relay the story they saw unfold on camera…
Ms. Aguilar approached Mr. Walton and questioned him as to what he had in his bag, what had he just purchased in the Sporting Goods store, and Mr. Walton told her he had just bought a new shotgun…
Personally, right about then I would have told her it was none of her damned business and drove off but Mr. Walton is a lot nicer than I am…
Ms. Aguilar continued to question Mr. Walton about the shooting of 3 burglars in Mr. Walton’s place of business, West Dallas business owner kills 2 suspected burglars in 3 weeks and her line of questioning was so mean and intense that she had the old boy in tears, and for those efforts, FOX4 has suspended Ms. Aguilar indefinitely, and as far as I am concerned, that’s a good move on their part, it would be even better, in MY opinion, if FOX4 made it permanent and fired Ms. Aguilar, her actions were NOT that of a reporter, they were that of a NEWS HACK, a semi-professional journalist looking for a story at ANY cost, she was as unprofessional as anyone could be, she was rude, she attacked, she didn’t asked questions, she made accusations, and now FOX4 has pulled the video…
What has FOX4 got to hide in this act of ‘Ambush Journalism’??
If FOX4 is totally innocent, why hide the facts?? The video wasn’t just pulled from YouTube either, it is now dead on FOX4’s site as well, is FOX4 trying to hide something??
There was a call across the ‘net today for FOX4 to fire Aguilar, a huge call, and a call went up to fire the producer and manager as well, that story didn’t hit the air raw and unedited, someone had to approve it, and that was not all Aguilar’s doings…This story has been an embarrassment for FOX4 and FOX Network, it is a slap in their face, and it’s about time too, FOX News produces some of the most unprofessional pieces of ‘sensationalism’ in the news business, when FOX gets it right they get it very right, but there’s not a day goes by that even the great Fox News Network doesn’t have some of this over the top, totally unprofessional reporting on the BIG network, most interviews with more than one person, opposing view interviews, turn into Jerry Springer style shouting and screaming matches, opposition guests talking over each other to the point that it all becomes an unintelligible babble, moderation goes out the window and sensationalism takes over, that’s not journalism, it’s HACK REPORTING…
It’s time for things like this come to light and it’s time for Conservatives to demand some journalistic responsibility and integrity from the MSM as a whole and FOX News in particular, it’s way past time…
And to FOX4 I say this, if you have done nothing wrong, let the video stand and take the termination of Ms. Aguilar under serious advisement, show your viewers that you can do the right thing, otherwise, you look like YOU have something to hide, do you??
EDIT TO ADD 10-18-07 @ 3:10PM:
KDFW-FOX4 ‘Ambush Journalism Video’ Here!
A special thanks to JT for sending this to me!!
They can RUN, but they can’t hide…
EDIT TO ADD 2013-06-09 @ 17:16:02
Now the video from Live Leak has been disabled…
Trackback URL:
http://texasfred.net/archives/653/trackback/
This is just an extension of the gotcha reality tv genre of reporters now, cutesy chickies with microphones and no brains is the prevailing reporter description throughout the newsworld, FoxNews Cable included.
Even they have started to grate on my sensibilities with their stable of newsbabe/talking heads that get quite tiresome quickly. It’s each one trying to one up the next and getting worse by the minute.
Aguilar should be ashamed of herself. That includes as you say Fred, the producer and manager as well. They all should be given their walking papers.
That poor man was shaking. He had been through a (albeit justified) harrowing experience, twice in two weeks time. One can only imagine the toll it took on him. Yet she hounded him. What a pariah.
Why could the story not of highlighted, the bravery of an American defending his life, home and business?
This lady needs to be fired as well as those that are in authority over her and authorized this video to be aired. What happened to this man’s right to bear arms, he was not a criminal, he was defending himeself and his place of business. Yet, SHE was attacking him - the victim!
I guess freedom of the press and speech is okay for the news station if their videos depict them in a good light but if their reporters look bad they want to pull a “Dan Rather” and hide everything.
ARRA, “Pull a Dan Rather”, that is the most appropriate terminology I have heard applied to this so far, outstanding..
Fred, I knew they were going to do the cease & desist thing so the moment I could I acquired the video, I’ve already circulated it around a bit and if they end up trying to force me to remove it I will end up in a Dallas court before I take it down. They can pull it from YouTube but they can’t take it off my hard drive. And I have my own servers.
Malagent, we may NEED it too… KDFW has one hell of a black eye, and they are none too happy about it either… 😀
typical of left wing media who figures that the criminal has all the rights. I figure that the right to own property implies the right to protect it and if the law cannot protect it then it is up to the property owner. Of course the left wing figures it is all theirs and they have a right to it…
WAKE UP! The ‘story airing’ isn’t the story here people. Her demeanor and line of questioning towards this crime victim/war veteran IS the story. No editor can take that back. Mr. Walton experienced it in real time. Unless you conspiracy mined folks think she had an earphone and was being fed the questions - then WAKE UP and face the fact that SHE is the story and no ones else should be held responsible for her actions.
Whether the story ran or not - the fact of the matter is the QUESTION ‘Are you trigger happy’ was asked of this War Veteran. No redub, edit or censor could change the fact that she asked an ignorant question with a derogatory, skeptical tone. - in an obvious effort to further her personal anti-gun agenda.
She asked a hurtful question - so hurtful that the gentleman could not contain his emotions. It doesn’t matter that the editors let this story air or not - she asked the question - no edit can erase that from the mind of the person who was asked.
So she’s still a dirtbag for asking it - edit or not - airing or not. That my friends is why SHE, and no one else, is on leave - hopefully a permanent one.
You’re right, they can’t take it back but a decent editor and producer would never have let it air…
That doesn’t change the fact that Aguilar IS a dirt bag, but there are more folks to blame on this than just her…
Helo Pilot: TF is correct; you’re only HALF right. Yes, the reporter pulled those questions out of her own head and directed them at him from her own mouth and under conditions she arranged and directed. But, once the hard drive from that camera goes back to the station and its contents shown on a monitor for staff, and SOMEONE makes the AFFIRMATIVE DECISION to purposely HOLD AIR TIME in THEIR news broadcast, then the station is completely complicit in that performance. She is simply slime, and the station management and editorial staff are further slime for APPROVING the air time for that segment. And I wonder, out loud, if her being Mexican has anything to do with what is and what will happen to her. . .
BZ