TV Reporters Fired Over Fake News – Four employees at KARK-TV, an NBC affiliate in Little Rock were fired over a fake news report posted on YouTube.

TV reporters fired over fake news video

KARK news reporter Pete Thompson appears in the video below as a disgruntled news reporter in a profanity-laden spoof of broadcast news, now removed from YouTube.

When first contacted in an interview Thursday with ArkansasBusiness.com, Thompson confirmed that the videos were shot at KARK’s studios in Little Rock with several colleagues, including his fiance, weekend anchor Courtney Collins.

When asked about the videos, Thompson said he didn’t want to comment further.

“I think we’re going to take those down,” he said. “We were just doing some practice things for the 48-hour film festival coming up.”

Asked whether his bosses were aware of the videos, Thompson said that he would have to speak with them about it.

“It’s really not that big a deal,” he said, and immediately hung up the phone.

In the first video below, titled “Miami or Bust,” Thompson’s character, “Pete Johnson,” believes he’s about to be offered a job at a Miami TV station. He constantly complains about his assignments in both voiceover and in dialogue with his co-workers.

When Thompson’s character is assigned to cover the Malvern Brickfest, he complains, “Please God, get me the hell out of here.”

“It was hot as s**t outside,” he says later. “At least in Miami they have beaches. And good coke.”

Toward the end of the episode, he slaps an interviewee and is reprimanded by his boss, played by KARK weekend anchor Courtney Collins. Collins did not immediately return calls for comment.

KARK reporters Pete Thompson, Courtney Collins, Jake Hatley and news photographer Chris Jameson were fired on Thursday, the day after ArkansasBusiness.com first reported on the profanity-laced videos.

Fake TV News Report – YouTube Video:

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