Walter Finch
A SPANISH lawyer and influencer was caught on camera deliberately covering himself in mud before delivering a news segment on the Valencia floods.
Rubert Gisbert, who was reporting for the national TV program Horizonte, was filmed by a bystander kneeling down in the mud before returning to camera, apparently in an attempt to make himself appear more immersed in the disaster.
The stunt drew a stinging rebuke from the show’s own host, Iker Jimenez, who branding Gisbert’s actions ‘stupid’ and claimed he had ‘failed’ the production.
“I have never forced anyone to cover themselves in mud to dramatise something…I don’t understand why there was a need to exaggerate in the midst of all this drama,” a visibly frustrated Jimenez said in a video addressing the incident.
He added that Gisbert will no longer be working on the show.
In his defence, Gisbert – who describes himself as a ‘practising lawyer and freedom revolutionary’ – apologised and claimed the mud stunt was simply for ‘continuity’ purposes, as he had already been filmed wading through flooded garages earlier.
The bridge running over the ravine that leads to Paiporta, ground zero for loss of life in the Valencian floods
“Did I do it for you to see mud on my knees despite the fact I’ve spent seven days covered in mud? Yes, that’s why I did it,” Gisbert said in a video posted to social media.
However, this explanation has done little to quell the backlash, with many viewers and commentators slamming the move as ‘shameless’ and lacking in ‘respect and empathy’ for the flood victims.
“It is a shame…he has manipulated reality,” said Spanish presenter Maria Patino.
The backlash against Gisbert comes amid heartbreaking reports of devastation in eastern Spain.
At least 217 people have lost their lives, and thousands of cars and homes have been swept away.
A week later and just a little further north, local authorities in Catalonia are warning residents of ongoing ‘continuous and torrential’ rains and urging them to stay indoors and avoid flooded areas.
