Gray Media has terminated the employment of a cameraman who attempted to self-immolate during a protest near the White House over the weekend.
The photographer, Samuel Mena, Jr., worked at the company’s CBS affiliate KPHO (Channel 5) in Phoenix after graduating from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
On Saturday, Mena participated in a pro-Palestine protest near the White House, where he attempted to set himself on fire. A nearby photographer captured flames leaping from his arm before nearby police poured water on Mena, extinguishing the fire. He was treated for burns at the scene and later detained.
Prior to the incident, Mena posted on social media that he intended to stream live from the White House via Instagram, and would be giving a speech after setting up his stream. It was not clear if he streamed a statement before the fire began.
On his personal web page, Mena posted a lengthy essay on Saturday that criticized the news industry for what he perceives as its lack of objectivity. He also criticized KPHO for airing numerous newscasts during the day and for adhering to “false balance” practices in order to fill time.
“Journalists, editorial staff, producers (and) photographers, are jaded and tired and feeling the same sense of job insecurity the rest of the country is,” Mena wrote. “We’ve gotten very good at what we do, we’ve streamlined our processes, and we cut corners all the time.”
Mena also commented about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, saying voters picked the Democratic Party to take over the White House in an effort to “save democracy, maintain civil liberties, uphold decency, and protect truth.” He ultimately scolded Democratic leadership for adopting “the same strategies that the Republicans were using in 2018,” and said Democratic lawmakers were to blame for failing to deliver on promises made about abortion rights, border security and drilling for oil on federal lands.
His biggest issue was the Biden administration’s handling of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the latest wave of which started around this time last year when Hamas militants entered into Israel and killed hundreds of civilians. Israel responded with a year-long bombing campaign that, in turn, has killed thousands of civilians, journalists and suspected militants in Gaza.
Mena criticized the Biden administration’s apparent doublespeak, saying President Biden expressed views in wanting to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza while simultaneously providing millions of dollars in military aid and weapons sales to Israel since last year.
“We live in a country of Hypocrisy, falsehood, and misdirection,” Mena wrote. “The leaders of the ‘free world’ are party puppets on a global stage, hoping that you enjoy their song and dance while praying that you don’t pay attention to what happens behind closed curtains.”
This week, officials at Gray Media and KPHO affirmed Mena was no longer an employee with the station. While Mena was wearing press credentials during the protest, the station said he was off-duty.
“Arizona’s Family expects its newsroom employees to conduct themselves with neutrality and objectivity,” a station spokesperson wrote in a statement, using the on-air branding for KPHO and its sister-station, KTVK (Channel 3). The spokesperson added that “Mena is no longer an employee.”
