Screengrab from https://youtu.be/XFh-X1bv4P0

Hurricanes coverage has been the bread-and-butter of television reporters since Dan Rather burst on the national scene by live coverage of Hurricane Carla in 1961:

Over time, the stereotypical coverage involves a weatherman in high-speed inclement weather gear standing outside and saying, “Yep, this rain sure is wet.” This, I guess, is news to a lot of watchers of storm coverage, particularly if they are CNN viewers. Such was the case with the Weather Channel reporter Mike Seidel covering Hurricane Florence coming ashore in Wilmington, NC.

This is pretty standard fare up until 0:15…when two guys stroll down the street totally unaffected by the wind. Surprisingly, Brian “Tater” Stelter comes to the defense of a network the often beats CNN in ratings:

This looks bad, obviously. But FWIW, in @MikeSeidel's defense, the channel noted that "the 2 individuals in the background are walking on concrete" while he's on wet grass, and he was "undoubtedly exhausted" from constant live shots… https://t.co/KcnxW2Ejoi — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 15, 2018

And, for his efforts, was hooted off the internet.

Bottom line is that wet grass or no, this was as much a fraudulent segment as anything ever generated by Brian Williams. And the internet being what it is, Seidel was mercilessly mocked. Enjoy.

We’ve seen the #Windgate video… Now check out these viral copycats! pic.twitter.com/7VoQXwzfO9 — Andrea Jackson (@AJacksonTV) September 15, 2018

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