August 31st 2023.
A news crew in Chicago got a bit too close to the story they were trying to report on when they were robbed themselves while filming. According to The Associated Press, a reporter and photographer from the Spanish station Univision Chicago were victims of a robbery while attempting to film a segment about robberies in the city's West Town neighborhood just before 5 a.m. on Monday.
The robbers were described as three men wearing ski masks and armed with weapons. They took the crew's television camera and other items and then fled in two vehicles, a gray sedan and a black SUV. Luis Godinez, vice president of news at Univision Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune that the men were standing outside when the robbers pulled up and "were approached with guns and robbed." The crew's equipment and personal items were taken, but luckily, the two victims were not harmed.
This was the second time a news crew had been robbed in the city this month. A photographer from WLS-TV was assaulted and robbed on Aug. 8 while getting ready to cover a weekday afternoon news conference.
In response to the two incidents, Raza Siddiqui, president of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Local 41, put out a statement. He said that the union is committed to making sure that their members' safety comes first, and that they are working to find out what they can do to support them.
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