Narayan Pargaien, a reporter for the channel News Express in India, has been fired after shooting a stand-up while covering flooding in the Uttarakhand region, sitting on the shoulders of a flood victim.
An Indian news reporter attempting to get a boost up in his flood coverage ended up in hot water none the less.
In a shocking video vilified around the world News Express reporter Narayan Pargaien is seen riding the shoulders of a surviving flood victim out into a river so he doesn’t get his own feet wet.
Pargaien is seen grasping the man's head and at times face for balance as he delivers his tragic report on the more than 1,000 deaths in the northern state of Uttarakhand as the victim holds him up in the middle of the murky water.
Pargaien, far from accepting blame since the report’s attack, has since defended it saying the video wasn't supposed to capture himself sitting on the man's shoulders.
"This was entirely the cameraman's fault, who, it seems, almost tried to sabotage my career by shooting from that distance and angle and releasing the video mocking this whole incident, and making me the villain," Pargaien told News Laundry before his termination from the station.
"His house was in a miserable condition and he had lost a lot in the flood, and was left with very little food and water.
"We helped him with some food and some money and he was grateful to us and wanted to show me some respect [by carrying me across the river], as it was the first time someone of my level had visited his house," he said.
Pargaien let it slip that he paid the man 50 rupees or 84 cents for the ride, News Laundry reports.
"It wasn't my idea to begin with, but there was this man who took me to his home and asked me to report the damage he had suffered," Pargaien argued.
News Express Head Chief Nishant Chaturvedi in turn publicly admonished Pargaien's report calling it "very inhuman."
"You cannot ride on someone's back for a story. We terminated him on Tuesday," he said.
In a shocking video vilified around the world News Express reporter Narayan Pargaien is seen riding the shoulders of a surviving flood victim out into a river so he doesn’t get his own feet wet.
Pargaien is seen grasping the man's head and at times face for balance as he delivers his tragic report on the more than 1,000 deaths in the northern state of Uttarakhand as the victim holds him up in the middle of the murky water.
Pargaien, far from accepting blame since the report’s attack, has since defended it saying the video wasn't supposed to capture himself sitting on the man's shoulders.
"This was entirely the cameraman's fault, who, it seems, almost tried to sabotage my career by shooting from that distance and angle and releasing the video mocking this whole incident, and making me the villain," Pargaien told News Laundry before his termination from the station.
"His house was in a miserable condition and he had lost a lot in the flood, and was left with very little food and water.
Sky News This is the angle Pargaien hoped viewers would see when he says he accepted the invitation by the flood victim to sit on his shoulders in the middle of the river.
"We helped him with some food and some money and he was grateful to us and wanted to show me some respect [by carrying me across the river], as it was the first time someone of my level had visited his house," he said.
Pargaien let it slip that he paid the man 50 rupees or 84 cents for the ride, News Laundry reports.
"It wasn't my idea to begin with, but there was this man who took me to his home and asked me to report the damage he had suffered," Pargaien argued.
News Express Head Chief Nishant Chaturvedi in turn publicly admonished Pargaien's report calling it "very inhuman."
"You cannot ride on someone's back for a story. We terminated him on Tuesday," he said.
