Duck Tale: New Way to Look Silly Avoiding Media

Lots of people try to duck reporters. Here's the worst tactic we've seen in a while: literally hiding under your desk.

St Louis resident wanted to avoid something like this

KSDK-TV in St Louis was doing one of those we're "on your side" reports that many stations do.  Deborah Smith, a retired Department of Mental Health worker, was fighting a local corporation which owned an empty lot next to her home.  A dying tree on the lot was leaning over her yard and Smith feared it would fall on her house. The company ignored her calls for over two years.

So a reporter from KSDK showed up at Roberts Brothers, the company in question, to ask why they were being so un-neighborly.  Roberts Brothers front door was locked -- but it is made of glass and the receptionist can be seen crawling under her desk to avoid the camera.  According to KSDK she stayed there for over a half hour -- sticking her head up from time to time to see if the coast was clear.  It wasn't.



Eventually Robert Brothers did the right thing and had the tree removed.  But we're stumped why someone from the company didn't just let the reporter in and tell him they will look into his concerns.  Had they done so - the report, which you can see below, would have had an entirely different tone.




In the "you can't make this stuff up" category:  Roberts Brothers reportedly is in the hospitality business and owns at least one TV station.



h/t Poynter