In a video posted to X, Vinny Martorano, a multimedia journalist for the Sinclair-owned Austin CBS affiliate, was handed a phone during a livestream at the Texas Capitol and shown what appeared to be a message from station management. According to the brief exchange caught on camera, the instruction was to avoid focusing on celebrations in the street, where demonstrators were chanting and thanking President Donald Trump following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Martorano glanced at the message, looked back toward the crowd, and responded, “All right. Well, I am,” before continuing his report.
'A large group of people in front of the Texas Capitol are celebrating the coordinated strike against Iran early this morning.'
The 30-second clip quickly spread across social media, racking up hundreds of thousands of views within hours. Many users framed the moment as evidence of media bias and praised Martorano for refusing to downplay a pro-Trump rally.
Photo by Cheng Xin/Getty Images
The alleged text Martorano received didn't stop him from reporting what was happening.
When the livestream continued, Martorano opened his on-air report by noting that reactions across Austin were mixed.
"There are a lot of mixed opinions across Austin about the joint attack between the United States and Israel against Iran that happened earlier this morning," Martorano said. "Some people, like this group behind me, are thanking Trump and the United States government for following through with this attack against Iran, while other people across the city say there needs to be more peace in the Middle East."
Martorano made additional posts, covering the celebrations.
"A large group of people in front of the Texas Capitol are celebrating the coordinated strike against Iran early this morning," one of his posts read. "Some people I spoke with moved to Austin from Iran."
Eric Daugherty, chief content officer of Right Line News, praised Martorano for his honest reporting despite alleged pressure to do the opposite. "THAT'S how you do it!"
Editor's note: This article has been corrected after publication to remove an erroneous use of "former" before "President Trump."
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