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This 'anti-homeless' news segment is being called 'shameful' - and it's easy to see why

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WFLA News Channel 8

A US news segment has come under fire for being “gross” and “anti-homeless”.

The segment, on Tampa Bay’s WFLA News Channel 8, focussed on “panhandlers” – a US term for beggar – who operate in the local area.

The channel interviewed a local businessman who said he was “bullied daily” by homeless people. The man claimed he offered a homeless man $15 an hour to do “yard work” but the man allegedly refused. So he decided to stand next to the man, with a sign, to discourage them from giving him money.

The man said that homeless people “don’t want work” and “just want money”. Next, the homeless man can be seen being followed by reporters as he becomes increasingly distressed.

The clip was shared on Twitter by New York journalist Adam Johnson. He described it as “loaded” with every “right-wing signifier in the book”.

People on Twitter were shocked by the report, saying the channel should be “ashamed”.

More: How to help a homeless person you see sleeping rough

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