Reporter Gets Apology From “Obnoxious” Mayor

Bloomberg asks Michael Harris why he got so mad

All's well that ends well -- sort of.

Michael Bloomberg said he's sorry to a blogger who was in a wheelchair when his micro-recorder accidentally started playing while the mayor was speaking at a news conference.

At Gov. Paterson's gay-marriage legislation announcement Thursday, Bloomberg stopped the news conference for more than 90 seconds when a photographer knocked Harris' coat to the floor, causing the recorder to begin playing. Harris, who wears hearing aids, did not hear it at first, and then had trouble reaching it.

When Council Speaker Christine Quinn whispered to Bloomberg that Harris was disabled, the surly mayor said, "I understand that. He can still turn it off."

But at an event today, Bloomberg spent a private moment with him to apologize. Sort of.

During the "apology," Bloomberg asked Harris why he got so mad, News 4 New York reported.

After the incident, Harris said he wasn't expecting an apology.

Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said Friday that the mayor was just trying to treat him the same as any other reporter.



 

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