(Newswire.net — October 3, 2016) — Cable TV C-SPAN posted Tripp Diaz’s phone number by accident during the worst possible moment – the broadcast of the presidential debate watched by tens of millions of people.
Diaz started receiving text messages and calls from strangers on Monday night immediately after her phone number was posted and flashed on the screen during prime-time at 11pm, and invited viewers to call and text to comment on Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s performances.
C-SPAN spokesman Howard Mortman admitted that the TV channel made a mistake and accidentally plastered her phone number on TV during Monday’s face-off between the candidates, which was the most watched debate in US history, with more than 84 million Americans tuning in.
Spokesman Mortman explained that C-SPAN has apologized to Diaz for the mix-up that has rendered her phone unusable for a while.
Diaz, a 26 year-old Virginia bartender, said that the she was not even watching the debate, she was watching American Horror Story on FX.
Diaz told the site DCist that she has already decided who she’s going to vote for in November, so the comments that she received over the phone on Monday night, have not influenced her decision, they just drive her crazy.
Diaz took to social media to express her frustration at C-SPAN. She posted on Facebook on Monday night an angry status: “Dude….my number? People will not stop calling me and if another f***ing Trumphead hits my line, I’m going to lose my s***. 1500 texts hundreds of calls…….and counting…..Kill me.”
After that she put her device in airplane mode overnight just so she could sleep. By morning, she had received more than 13,000 text messages and hundreds of missed calls. Dias said that some of the messages were racist or sexist in tone.
After this unpleasant experience, Diaz plans to change her phone number, regardless that she has unlimited text messaging.