An NBC News cameraman called out for not wearing a mask during an outdoor shoot was wearing a scarf that had fallen off his face, a network spokesperson said Wednesday.
Video of correspondent Cal Perry reporting for MSNBC from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on Memorial Day made the social media rounds for a segment in which he observed that people were packed in at the scene and ignoring social distancing. He noted that “nobody’s wearing” face masks.
“Including the cameraman,” said a maskless passerby who appeared in the clip.
Perry, who was wearing a mask, replied, “There ya go, including the cameraman.”
The man then said that “half your crew isn’t wearing them.”
The NBC spokesperson told HuffPost that the cameraman, who is a network employee, wore a scarf or handkerchief as a face covering and it fell off his nose and mouth during the live shot and he couldn’t adjust it.
The bystander, Andy Olson, said earlier that the cameraman had a “mask” around his neck. He also accused the cameraman and Perry of not practicing social distancing before the shoot.
The clip was retweeted by Donald Trump Jr. and circulated among conservative outlets as a mask-shaming gone wrong.
Here’s a reverse shot of the report. Another man whose face is uncovered can be seen leaning on a tripod, but HuffPost has not confirmed whether he was a crew member.
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