The Weather Channel on Friday defended a meteorologist who was captured bracing against the wind while two people appeared to stroll casually behind him during a report on Hurricane Florence.
The reporter, Mike Seidel, was reporting from Wilmington, N.C., Friday afternoon, where he was shown hunched over and appearing to brace against a strong wind.
In the video, he has one hand cupped to his ear and sways back and forth while reporting on the conditions. There is a blustery wind blowing grass down, and it appears to be coming from behind him.
“We’re in one of these (rain) bands. This is about as nasty as it’s been, we had some bands like this last night, and then the eyewall this morning ...”
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As he speaks, the camera zooms out and two people in shorts walk behind him, apparently without any strain or struggle, before the camera zooms back onto Seidel and then cuts to a map.
The clip was roundly criticized on social media as an example of the news media sensationalizing or exaggerating the dangerous conditions of the storm.
“So dramatic! Dude from the weather channel bracing for his life, as 2 dudes just stroll past,” said one Twitter user, whose clip has been viewed more than 17 million times.
So dramatic! Dude from the weather channel bracing for his life, as 2 dudes just stroll past. #HurricaneFlorence pic.twitter.com/8FRyM4NLbL — Tony scar. (@gourdnibler) September 14, 2018 Not to downplay the intensity of tropical storm Florence, but this reporter for the Weather Channel is acting as if he was hanging on for dear life when two guys bomb his report as they casually stroll by... pic.twitter.com/42yN5xAvNF — Jamal Dajani جمال (@JamalDajani) September 14, 2018 Don't let the truth stand in the way of a good story .
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — 555|STi (@555STi) September 15, 2018 Stupidly harmless, I guess, until you think about it. They are purposely trying to deceive their viewers into thinking the storm is worse than it is. Pretty disrespectful stuff from the Weather Channel. — Charles in Charge (@5GearsInReverse) September 15, 2018 the strom is real but they are over playing it and that is what is bad. What about the next storm that comes and they start saying the same things, people will not believe them, maybe that next storm will be a CAT 3 not a CAT 1. Then even more people may get hurt — Joe Dirt (@Joedirt3012Dirt) September 15, 2018
“Really? There is no need for this. The wind is not the story here, and everyone knows it because they watched Florence drop in strength before it made landfall,” a Washington Post editorial said regarding the video.
But according to The Weather Channel, there was a logical explanation for the video.
“It’s important to note that the two individuals in the background are walking on concrete, and Mike Seidel is trying to maintain his footing on wet grass, after reporting on-air until 1 a.m. ET this morning and is undoubtedly exhausted,” the network said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
On Twitter, Seidel did not bring up the controversy Saturday afternoon and began posting more storm updates. But commenters were still very much focused on the Wilmington clip — and they were not happy.
No one will take you seriously anymore after that acting job you did..... — Michael Bentley (@MickeyMWB) September 15, 2018 Thanks for sensationalizing the situation the other day for @weatherchannel ratings and bringing doubt to the severity of the damage in certain areas! You should be removed from @weatherchannel ASAP — Jeremy Morris (@jeremym555) September 15, 2018 Your fake report yesterday is the reason people don’t leave. It makes you the boy who cried wolf and the distrust it causes will get people killed. You and the @weatherchannel should be ashamed. — Stacey Leach (@StaceyLeach12) September 15, 2018 Plz come clean on yesterday's video. Rocking back & forth on wet grass in 30-45 mph to make a point about the conditions? Then claiming it's legit & due to exhaustion? People behind are walking just fine, not even leaning or bracing against the same wind & not being moved. — Justin Bryant (@JBryantPD) September 15, 2018 I’ve stood on wet grass and concrete while reporting from hurricanes. The Weather Channel defense of their reporter is utter bullsh*t. https://t.co/vvjGgh32qE — David Shuster (@DavidShuster) September 15, 2018
It’s not the first time weather reporters have shown a flare for the dramatic.
Look, for instance, at this weather reporter paddling away in Wayne County, N.J. in 2005:
Here’s another reporter braving the elements in Bound Brook, N.J.:
Florence is still a dangerous storm and is linked to at least five deaths so far. It is forecast to crawl through South Carolina into Saturday before turning west and then north across the western Carolinas and toward the Ohio Valley by Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
SHARE COPY LINK After a Weather Channel reporter was criticized for overreacting to hurricane winds, social media users spoofed the moment.
cityofklompton on September 18th, 2018 at 16:05 UTC »
I love how the cameraman totally sells him out with that quick zoom-out to initially get them in the frame.
haxorious on September 18th, 2018 at 15:13 UTC »
I mean who runs these shit? Who makes the PR decisions for events like these?
If you stayed silent, if you admitted fault, hell if you straight up said "lol we did it for kicks and giggles"...it would STILL be better than this. This sounds like an excuse a 5 year old would make.
sold_snek on September 18th, 2018 at 15:04 UTC »
Wet grass.
The worst thing you can do when you get caught doing something stupid is keep trying to defend it. Just let everyone laugh at you and move on, no one cares that much but you're just making everyone remember your name and it's going to be all you're known for.