NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News’ Shannon Bream said the network had to move a planned live broadcast indoors after she and her crew felt threatened by demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday following President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.
A demonstrator sign as protesters gather in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, July 9, 2018, after President Donald Trump announced Judge Brett Kavanaugh as his Supreme Court nominee. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
People shouted obscenities at Bream and her crew, crowded around and touched crew members as they prepared to air Fox’s 11 p.m. Eastern hour from the location two hours after the nomination, she said.
“I’ve been in the middle of many protesters and signs and chanting and we all do our jobs,” Bream said Tuesday. “But last night had a different feel to it.”
Bream said Fox felt specifically targeted, although she said other reporters had a difficult time with the crowd. Disturbed by the scene, Fox executives made the decision to move to a nearby studio. Bream had been at the court for several hours, doing live reports during several programs.
The incident on an emotional political night exposed Fox News to a threatening atmosphere frequently faced by reporters at other news organizations at Trump rallies. CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta recently described how an elderly woman swore at him and tried to get him to leave one of Trump’s recent rallies.
Bream, who has covered the Supreme Court for 11 years, said that often during demonstrations security separates demonstrators from the press with barricades, but they weren’t on duty Monday night. She recalled only one other similar situation, but that happened during daylight hours.
“We don’t know if there were good guys, or people who are going to look around and make a funny face, or if they had other plans,” she said. “It’s tough to assess when you’re in the middle of a crowd that is yelling and pushing and shoving.”
One man who stood near her wore a Trump mask and, judging from the sign he held, was not a fan, Bream said.
She said no reporters, no matter the outlet, should feel in danger for doing their jobs.
“There’s a lot of heat out there and I’m hoping that cooler heads will prevail,” she said.
By DAVID BAUDER
