Close X
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
ADVT 
International

Stranger Who Kissed CBC Reporter Megan Batchelor On Camera Apologizes, Says Incident Was A Mistake

The Canadian Press, 11 Aug, 2015 11:43 AM
    VANCOUVER — A CBC journalist who was kissed by a stranger on live TV has received an apology, but she's still being attacked by others online for making a complaint to police.
     
    Megan Batchelor was reporting from a music festival in Squamish, B.C., north of Vancouver, Friday when a stranger came up from behind, kissed her on the cheek at the same time as he took a picture of the event.
     
    Daniel Davies, 17, later reached out to her in a direct message on Twitter to identify himself and say he was sorry.
     
    Batchelor said his apology and feelings seemed very sincere.
     
     
    "He basically just said 'You know, in the moment I thought it was hilarious. And then when I saw your interviews and I saw the backlash and I put myself in your shoes, I immediately knew I was wrong and this was not appropriate," she said.
     
    Batchelor said her report to the RCMP prompted a much different response from those online.
     
    People have called her explicit names, written her lewd and aggressive messages, and criticized her intelligence and appearance.
     
    The backlash has been "insane," said Batchelor, adding that she's tried to ignore the hateful comments.
     
     
    She hopes that Davies' apology helps to calm the furor.
     
    "I'm really hoping that with him now speaking out and agreeing with the way that I've been feeling, I'm really hoping that that will perhaps diffuse some of the negativity and people who don't agree with me will perhaps see that this is not really an appropriate thing to do."
     
    As for the RCMP complaint, Batchelor said it's up to police whether they press charges, but she is happy with the apology she's received. 
     
    "In terms of where I'm at, I really don't want to see this kid lose out on future opportunities because of this," she said. "I really think he's paying the price now for his actions."
     
    The journalist does hope the incident will have an impact on people who think it's fun to interrupt television reporters while they work.
     
     
    "I guess I'm just hoping people will take that extra second and think 'Okay, that's a person there trying to do their job. How will what I'm planning on doing impact them and their ability to do that and is it really worth it?'" Batchelor said.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    After Nav Pe Charcha, It Is Nav Pe Yoga In Paris

    After Nav Pe Charcha, It Is Nav Pe Yoga In Paris
    Tourists visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Friday were in a for a surprise view, not mentioned anywhere in the tourist guides on the sights visible from the most famous observatory in the world.

    After Nav Pe Charcha, It Is Nav Pe Yoga In Paris

    Belgium's Khan Brothers Show Eu The Yoga Way

    Belgium's Khan Brothers Show Eu The Yoga Way
    Ten years back Feroze and Sameer Khan opened their yoga centre in Brussels, starting initially in the auditorium of the Indian embassy. Today, they are household names in the European Union (EU) circles on yoga.

    Belgium's Khan Brothers Show Eu The Yoga Way

    Malaysian Indian Woman Records Final Words in A Video Before Committing Suicide To Seek Revenge

    Malaysian Indian Woman Records Final Words in A Video Before Committing Suicide To Seek Revenge
    The woman, in her 30s, recorded her last words in a two-minute video in which she vowed to come back from the dead and wreak vengeance, reported the Malaysian Star. 

    Malaysian Indian Woman Records Final Words in A Video Before Committing Suicide To Seek Revenge

    Shooting At Black Church Reopens American History's Dark Part: Obama

    Shooting At Black Church Reopens American History's Dark Part: Obama
    Shock and anger engulfed America as police nabbed a white young man who killed nine people at a historic black church in Charleston in South Carolina, saying he was there "to shoot black people".

    Shooting At Black Church Reopens American History's Dark Part: Obama

    Sikh Student Can Join US Army With Beard, Turban, Rules Washington Court

    Sikh Student Can Join US Army With Beard, Turban, Rules Washington Court
    A Sikh college student will be able to join the US Army, without being forced to cut his hair, shave his beard or stop wearing his turban thanks to a Washington court ruling.

    Sikh Student Can Join US Army With Beard, Turban, Rules Washington Court

    30,000 Expected At New York's International Yoga Day Celebration

    30,000 Expected At New York's International Yoga Day Celebration
    Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to deliver the keynote address at the start of the day's celebrations at the UN headquarters in an open plaza along the East River, India's Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji told reporters here Tuesday. 

    30,000 Expected At New York's International Yoga Day Celebration