Sydney reporter Natasha Exelby was on air when she was caught off guard and playing with a pen.
Journalists around the world are showing their support and sharing their own bloopers after an Australian on-camera reporter was caught not paying attention while live on air.
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Sydney-based reporter Natasha Exelby was on the air Saturday morning for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation when she apparently failed to realize cameras had cut back to her.
Exelby appeared to be playing with a pen when she suddenly realized she was live. She audibly gasped before returning to the script.
The hilarious moment went viral, sparking reports that she had been banned from the station. On Tuesday, News Director Gaven Morris called those reports "untrue" and confirmed that she will be returning to the role.
"We take on-air standards extremely seriously, but we don’t expect perfection," he said in a statement. "No one would ever be punished for a blooper...
"Natasha is a freelance journalist who works as a contributor. She has been rostered for various shifts and has been assured since yesterday that we want that to continue... I have spoken to Natasha and conveyed our regret that this has attracted such attention."
After the blooper, Exelby took to Twitter to thank reporters around the world who'd shown their support.
Thank U all for ur generous support. Not my finest hour. Myself and my mesmerising pen honourably salute you!
— Natasha Exelby (@NatashaExelby) April 10, 2017
Journalists have been sharing their own stories about the times they’ve been caught off guard while live.
A co-host of a New Zealand morning show admitted she's accidently laughed while reporting something as serious as deaths.
In 20 years on air I've giggled through two obits and a suicide bombing. I once snorted too. Not proud but kept my job. #PutYourBloopersOut
— Hilary Barry (@Hilary_Barry) April 11, 2017
A reporter with Sky News said she once absentmindedly started snacking during a broadcast.
I started eating a Tim Tam live on air during rolling coverage of a leadership spill #putyourbloopersout
— Ashleigh Gillon (@ash_gillon) April 10, 2017
Read: Reporter Shrieks as Parrot Lands on Her Shoulder on Live TV
A newsreader for SBS Network even tweeted a picture of her reapplying lipstick on air, captioned, "It happens."
Yep. It happens... @MarcFennell @NatashaExelby pic.twitter.com/Ov79vpZRfn
— Janice Petersen (@JaniceKPetersen) April 9, 2017
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