A hot mic moment during a live feed of protests, both against and in support of the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, gives us a rare inside glimpse into the political inner workings of a newsroom. In the process, we watched a reporter resist those pressures and…well…report.
Watch as CBS Austin’s Vinny Martorano is told to deemphasize the rally in support of Operation Epic Fury, which he then refuses to do before going live:
WATCH: In a Facebook Live stream, Sinclair-owned CBS Austin multimedia journalist @VinnyMartorano refuses his bosses’ order to spin and downplay the rally in support of the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
In the video, Martorano is seemingly practicing for a live shot and noting… pic.twitter.com/iHiTCAxehe
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 1, 2026
CREW MEMBER: [Hands Vinny Martorano a phone, likely shows him a text message]
VINNY MARTORANO: What does that mean?
CREW MEMBER: It means they don’t want us to focus on this.
MARTORANO: All right. Well, I am.
RALLY CHANTS: Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump! Thank you Bibi! Thank you Bibi! Thank you Bibi! Thank you Bibi!
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