Why Aussies are defending a Channel Seven reporter after she was berated for her outburst at ‘stupid’ driver

Australians have jumped to the defence of a TV reporter after she was slammed for calling out a motorist’s ‘stupid’ behaviour for driving through floodwaters. 

Channel Seven reporter Katie Brown was reporting on Cyclone Alfred in Byron Bay, northern NSW, on Friday. 

During a live cross, Brown seemed fixated on the people out walking and those driving during the wild weather.  

‘This is only minor flooding but we’ve really got to be careful, we can’t be risking it, there’s even a bicycle rider going through the floodwaters,’ Brown said.

‘We’ve got a bystander running through, I’m not sure why he’s on the road. 

‘In terms of safety we really need to listen to the authorities, there’s still a lot of people out and about and travelling.

‘You can see how quickly this floodwater rises, this morning when we left for Ballina it was a small puddle.’

Brown also criticised a member of the public for driving through the floodwaters, labelling their behaviour ‘stupid’ and ‘dangerous’. 

‘You can see a Commodore being so stupid on the road. Sorry, that is stupid behaviour,’ Brown said.

‘That is so dangerous, that can cause a serious accident, we are dealing with a cyclone.

‘This is what you have to be aware of, people who are being silly. That’s really annoyed me, sorry Shirvo I’ve lost my train of thought.’

Brown faced a barrage of criticism for her comments, with many claiming she was ‘overreacting’. 

Some even urged Brown to take her own advice as she was ‘unnecessarily’ outside and too close to the road and cars. 

Meanwhile, Channel 7 bosses seem to be backing Brown, as she returned to the Sunrise show on Monday morning without apologising for her comments or addressing the incident. 

Many Aussies defended Brown’s reaction as ‘absolutely right’ and that the reporter’s comments were justified. 

‘She’s absolutely right they are stupid yet if they get in trouble and need rescuing they expect the front line to be there,’ one person commented on Facebook.  

‘Good on her for telling it how it is. She didn’t swear. I don’t know why anyone would have an issue with it,’ a second person wrote. 

‘Good on her for stating what we all thought anyway. It is people like this who put others at risk,’ a third chimed. 

A fourth added: ‘Absolutely! What an idiot. Putting other people’s lives at risk. And putting the news reporters life at risk. She was doing her job. And this idiot speeds through floodwaters. An absolute disgrace’.  

Tropical Cyclone Alfred was downgraded to a tropical low on Saturday morning, but residents in NSW and Queensland were urged to brace for dangerous conditions.

The storm cell made landfall on Saturday at 9pm (Queensland time) and lashed the region with wild weather including flash flooding, heavy rain and intense winds. 

Queensland premier David Crisafulli has warned that the worst of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred is not yet over.

He said about 17 people had been rescued overnight and the SES had been called to ‘over 300 jobs in a little over a few hours’.

‘My message is simple, we’re not through the worst just yet. (There is) a bit more rain to come. If you stay connected, I have every faith we will get through this,’ he said on Monday.

Meanwhile, thousands of Australians have been left stranded after floodwaters cut off evacuation routes across northern NSW. 

The State Emergency Service said 1,800 are already isolated while another 18,500 have been warned to prepare to be cut off.