Rookie reporter fired after Anderson Cooper selfie request goes wrong

A selfie-seeking rookie reporter has been fired in dramatic fashion after he was publicly shamed by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper in Canada.

Vandon Gene, a student and casual journalist, approached the TV news veteran during a live cross from outside the country's Parliament in Ottawa, near the War Memorial where Corporal Nathan Cirillo was killed yesterday.

Wanting to capture the moment, Gene asked for a selfie with Cooper, who declined noting the sombre nature of the events that took place there only hours earlier.

When the aspiring reporter's repeated requests for the photo proved fruitless, he began filming the CNN veteran as he told Gene to "learn how to behave".

"I won't take a photo with you on a day someone was killed, It seems wildly inappropriate," Cooper is heard saying in the footage.

But rather than call it a day, Gene took to Twitter to slam Cooper's "rude" response in a series of posts.

Only a few remain on his account, but screenshots show the young fan accusing Cooper of "exploiting the tragedy", which saw most of Ottawa placed in lockdown after a gunman went on a shooting rampage.

Cooper promptly shut down the rant, before expressing his disbelief that any station would employ Gene.

Despite issuing an apology, the Sun News confirmed they had let Gene go.