NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders revealed Thursday that after standing in front of the cameras for several hours while covering the Michael Dunn trial, he was temporarily blinded by the light.
In a personal essay, Sanders explained how it happened:
I was in front of a TV camera from 7:30am until 5:30pm reporting for the TODAY Show, MSNBC and Nightly News at the Dunn trail in Jacksonville Florida. What I didn’t know, and no one else did either, was the HMI light malfunctioned and the UV light was slowly burning my corneas, as well as frying the skin on my face.
Yikes. Here’s the photographic evidence:
In addition to 36 hours of blindness, Sanders’ “eyes burned in pain as if two hot coals smoldered in my sockets.” He hoped that being open about his experience would warn other TV reporters about such dangers:
If you're a TV reporter who stands in front of a camera, take my experience as a warning. http://t.co/Ul2y2F9EEY @NBCNews
— Kerry Sanders (@KerryNBC) March 6, 2014
Turns out, he’s not alone. A handful of reporters reached out, via Twitter, to explain that they, too, had gone through a similar ordeal:
@KerryNBC @NBCNews you know this happened to me during the Gaza disengagement in 2005. One of the most painful things ever. Get well.
— john vause (@vausecnn) March 6, 2014
@KerryNBC @brianstelter Kerry, it happen exactly the same to me on Inauguration Day, last year in DC. Perfectly depicted, thanks
— Lorenzo Milá Mencos (@lorenzomila) March 6, 2014
@KerryNBC @brianstelter Happened to me at NBC too-TWICE!:
If you're a TV reporter take this as a warning. http://t.co/6GtOrHSaUD @NBCNews
— Dawna Friesen (@DFriesenGlobal) March 6, 2014
@KerryNBC @brianstelter @NBCNews KERRY-this precisely happened to me TWICE while at CNN. Golf tourney in Aug 01, Olympics in '02. Harrowing!
— JOHN GIANNONE (@jaygeemsg) March 6, 2014
Read the full Sanders essay here.
[h/t Poynter]
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