International • • • 🌿 Progressive

Periodista sosteniendo un celular mientras transmite en vivo en una calle de Bogotá de noche, con farolas y un taxi al fondo
Imagen alusiva de un reportero transmitiendo en vivo con su celular en una calle de Bogotá durante la noche. · Erick Prometeo Media

Reporter fends off two robbery attempts during live broadcast

Reporter Miguel Ángel Peñaranda on two occasions avoided having his mobile phone snatched by two men on a bicycle while broadcasting live from a street in…

--- The context --- On the night of Wednesday, October 21, reporter Miguel Ángel Peñaranda was doing a live linkup from a street in Bogotá for the programme El Reporte Coronell. He was working in a public street and holding the mobile phone that kept him connected to the studio, during a broadcast dealing with statements related to former paramilitary chief Salvatore Mancuso and former official Víctor de Currea-Lugo. --- The facts --- At approximately 22:19 hours, two men riding a bicycle approached the reporter and tried to snatch his mobile phone. Peñaranda reacted quickly and dodged the first approach. There was a second attempt, which he also managed to avoid, so the men failed to take his device or any other belongings. The episode was recorded on video during the broadcast itself. In the recording, the reporter alerted his colleagues that a man had passed by and had nearly left him without his phone, and he pointed out that there had been two attempts. The images were later shared on an official X account on October 22. --- The positions --- Audiovisual producer and broadcaster Jhonathan Taborda Carmona also noticed the situation during the linkup and confirmed that the reporter had faced two robbery attempts. For his part, journalist and consultant Yezid Daniel Baquero advised Peñaranda to move closer to the entrance of a building for shelter and to continue his work from a safer place. Despite the tense moment, the reporter kept his phone and did not lose his belongings. --- What remains unknown --- By the time the consulted reports were published, no arrests related to the case had been reported. Nor had the filing of a formal complaint over what happened been publicly confirmed. There is therefore no identification of the two men who were riding the bicycle and no official response about possible safety measures for crews broadcasting from the street. --- Unanswered questions --- Will the two men who tried to snatch the reporter's phone during a live broadcast be identified? Was a formal complaint ultimately filed over the two robbery attempts recorded on video? What support or shelter measures will be adopted for reporters who do live linkups from public streets in Bogotá at night? --- EPM analysis --- The case shows a concrete exposure in street journalism: a live linkup today depends on a mobile phone held in plain sight, and that same device concentrates the connection, the work tool and an object of value for anyone trying to steal it. That the attempt happened on two occasions, before an audience watching live, also underlines that the risk did not deter the attackers even with a camera broadcasting. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, what happened in Bogotá requires looking at the safety of street reporters as part of the right to report and not as a minor public order matter. A professional should not have to choose between keeping a live linkup on air and protecting his own safety in the middle of a public street. Identifying those responsible, clarifying whether a complaint was filed and strengthening support during night coverage are minimum steps so that an incident like this is not repeated or reduced to an anecdote broadcast live.
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