Isa Balado was reporting on a Madrid robbery on Tuesday when he walked up and appeared to touch her bottom, which he denied when she confronted him.
Ms Balado tried to continue, but was interrupted by the programme’s host.
“Isa, forgive me for interrupting you… but did he just touch your bottom?” Nacho Abad asked.
The reporter confirmed it, and Mr Abad told her to put the “idiot” on camera, to which the shot moves to show both Isa Balado and the man, who was still standing with her, smiling and laughing.
“As much as you want to ask what channel we are from, do you really have to touch my bottom? I’m doing a live show and I’m working,” Ms Balado told him.
The man then denied touching her, and as he walked away attempted to tickle her head.
Police later said a man had been arrested for allegedly assaulting a reporter while she was doing a live television show, in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter.
It was strange to read an article about something recorded on video and see so many uses of “alleged” and “appears to”. Then I watch the video–which, as a surprise twist, the article doesn’t even include–to realize it’s definitely not ambiguous!
Maybe Spanish libel laws are more strict than I’m used to, but that is some seriously cautious journalism!
Standard operating procedure, even if it’s plain as day it’s alleged until an official sentence passed by a court of law.