This Just In: Conspiracy Theorists Love Live Shots

Last month, Boston Daily watched the circus outside Symphony Hall for an event for Hillary Clinton. In the comments of that post, a reader named Mark left a link to a YouTube video that showed FOX 25 political editor Joe Battenfeld taking a swipe at a 9/11 conspiracy theorist’s poster. We love it when readers leave links (hint, hint) and we watched the video, chuckled, and went on with our lives.

But it all came back to us when we saw a still from the video in today’s Herald.

The daily is shocked to find that people are trying to advance their own causes by harassing television journalists on live shots. And it seems our reader Mark is one of the leaders of the cause.

“We will be protesting as the presidential election gets heated,” said Mark O’Connor of the group Boston 9/11 Truth. “No newscaster is safe if they’re live on the street.”. . .

During Hillary Clinton’s Boston visit last month, Battenfeld and O’Connor clashed outside Symphony Hall. As Battenfeld faced the camera, O’Connor stood behind him, prompting Battenfeld to grab his “Expose the 9/11 coverup” poster and demand, “Can you not stand behind me?”

The video is funny, if not the newest YouTube craze O’Connor hoped for. Battenfeld’s strategy of pretending not to hear the protester makes him sound like a deaf old man, and the shoulder-shrugging of the crew is classic. But the comedy doesn’t end with the media—O’Connor’s high-pitched whining about his poster sounds more like a kid who’s been bullied on the playground than a man with a political complaint.

Maybe Boston 9/11 Truth will have better luck with its next protest.

It was O’Connor’s first encounter with Battenfeld but may not be his last. If he runs into Battenfeld, O’Connor says, he won’t threaten him but will “stand behind him” when he’s on the air.

Yes, loitering will certainly be the thing to blow the lid of any government coverup.

We’re all for conspiracy theories. They make for great movies. But harassing the local media while they’re trying to do their job doesn’t advance your cause. Hand out pamphlets. Have all the slow-loading MySpace pages you want. Even loiter behind reporters if you must. But goading a reporter into tearing your poster and whining about the injustice makes you look like a jackass.