Diane Sawyer Shocked Over Gas Prices Increase During Live ABC Report (VIDEO)

During a rather fortuitous live shot on Wednesday, ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega actually saw gas prices jump during a report on the same subject.

As Vega introduced her piece on gas prices for "World News With Diane Sawyer," she stood before a Los Angeles gas station that showed regular gas' cost at $4.99 per gallon. Before the package started, the regular gas price was oddly flashing.

During the two minute video package, which can be watched above, the gas prices actually jumped 10 cents. When the report finished, Vega returned on screen stunned by the coincidental moment. "It is almost too unbelievable to believe,” Vega said as she stared at the now $5.09 cost for regular gas.

“It went up 10 cents?” an astonished Diane Sawyer asked from the studio. “Ten cents during that two minutes while we were on the air,” confirmed Vega.

"Don't blink at the gasoline station," Sawyer warned.

An ABC News representative confirmed on Thursday that the price of regular gas at the station was still at $5.09 per gallon.

Related on HuffPost:

ABC News' journalists:

• Diane Sawyer

• George Stephanopoulos

• Barbara Walters

• Robin Roberts

• David Muir

• Terry Moran

• Cynthia McFadden

• Elizabeth Vargas

• Chris Cuomo

• Katie Couric

• Christiane Amanpour

  NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: Journalist Christiane Amanpour poses for a photo during the premiere of 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' at the School of Visual Arts on December 5, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Comments

[George McAulay]

09:56 PM on 02/27/2012

“Goldman Sachs just admitted that they are buying and selling stockpiles of oil. Nuff said?”

The oil is held offshore on ships and sent to the highest bidder.

We pay to USA oil companies $1.55 a litre (4 and a 1/2 to a gallon) for our OWN Australian oil and like you americans we have to drive further distances than those drivers in Europe

[grkow]

07:00 PM on 02/27/2012

REALITY CHECK: The speculators follow the trends and don't impose the drastic price changes as many believe. Their negative impact is not significant.........and they've been engaging in the same practices for decades.

It is a supply and demand issue, but you have to wonder why the prices go up like a rocket (and down like a feather) when some saudi has a boil on his behind or there a report of a hurricane 500 miles from the gulf of mexico.

Yes, the hapless masses will always be under the thumb of extreme capitalism. That is why millions pay $25 for a teaspoon of ink inside that inkjet printer cartridge. Those HP cartridges have a print head that is good for SIX refills but most users pay $8,000 per gallon for that cheap commodity. Now you know why 60 minutes interviewed the former VIP of HP on his 200 million yacht. They generate 70 percent of corporate profits on "colored water".

I've been refilling my cartridges for 10 years and the cost of a refill is 75 cents (black ink) to $2.00 (tri-color) depending on various factors.

[LemonGrass2]

02:46 PM on 02/27/2012

Gas sucks. If societies and developers would create micro-communities, we wouldn't have to drive so much.

[FoundersFan]

10:07 AM on 02/27/2012

What everyone should know--and this report skimmed over it--there are six beneficiaries when we buy a gallon of gas. And what's sitting directly in the middle at 3rd place? The GOVERNMENT. And it's basically tied with the refineries that are in 2nd. The government even gets more out of the sale than do those who deliver the gas or even the gas station itself.

The next time you complain about the price of gas, first look at the most despicable of all--the GOVERNMENT.

[A-Superstitionist]

11:26 AM on 02/27/2012

How despicable of the government to protect the country and its citizens, to provide and infrastructure of bridges and roads, to ensure we have unpolluted air and water, to ensure safety in travel and food an drugs, to provide health care for veterans of wars, to stimulate research, to set minimum standards for education, and to guard everyone's freedom OF and FROM superstitions, ...

I'm sure that taxes are evil when they provide all of that for 320 million Americans but OK if it benefits yourself?

[pillstonic]

09:54 AM on 02/27/2012

Why is that scene so super-sized? Why is there so much space between pump lines? Why so many pumps? Why so many machines? Why are there no pedestrians? Why is that town so wide? Why are the roads so wide? Why are the cars so big? And why do the people wear so much?... Why are they shouting?

Are you really all paying that much? Go freeze distill some lemons or something.

[Seafarer61]

09:34 AM on 02/27/2012

Change you can believe in alright. Comparing their first 26 months in office, gas prices rose 7% for Bush and 67% for Obama.
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/03/04/in-pictures-bush-vs-obama-on-gas-prices/

Cue the "Obama is helpless to affect gas prices" Pavlovian liberal response.

[aliceinanthem]

03:09 PM on 02/27/2012

I thought Republicans were for the free market, now you want Obama to do something about the gas price? which is it.

[Seafarer61]

12:08 PM on 02/29/2012

Free market means letting companies pursue our own country's natural resources without these mind numbing restrictions which DO affect the price of a barrel of oil. Surely you must understand this, yes?

[My Comment]

04:16 PM on 02/29/2012

You know that Bush & family comes from OIL right?

They own OIL COMPANIES, So go complain to him!!

Mr I left the Country Economictly Bankrupt exept My Bank Account!!

[hmagbie]

08:17 AM on 02/27/2012

If you are angry about the high price of gasoline, call your Congressional delegation and tell them you want to repeal the Commodities Modernization Act of 2000 and the Financial Modernization Act of 1999 and get speculators out of the Commodities markets.

[Salukeitis]

04:51 PM on 02/27/2012

People just don't understand that. It takes real thought to appreciate your statement. Therefore the crook speculators are safe to manipulate he oil market and make windfall profits.

[Spock]

03:40 PM on 02/26/2012

Our media is letting us down AGAIN. Oil production is WAY WAY up.

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/bush-obama-oil-production-graph-1.jpg?tag=content;siu-container

Its also NOT a supply issue. We are EXPORTING gas to other countries for the first time in decades.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2011-12-31/united-states-export/52298812/1

[MoMick]

07:33 PM on 02/26/2012

But other countries see the cheap US gas prices as a bargain and the brokers just sell to the highest bidder. It's called the free market system.

As I was told by an oil co. rep during the oil crunch of the 70's: There is no oil shortage, just a shortage of cheap oil.

I don't like it much either, but it's this or a nationalized oil industry.

[Spock]

10:42 PM on 02/26/2012

Its a scam. You have yahoos in the republican party chanting drill baby drill but oil production is up since Obama became president. Yet are prices are going up. If that's the free market then its another indictment of that system.

[VapeGirl]

03:10 PM on 02/26/2012

Start using electric, and hybrid cars, and you wouldn't need to care.

[Salukeitis]

04:53 PM on 02/27/2012

You know that's not going to happen. Exxon Mobile etc will not allow iit.

[HDR]

11:02 AM on 02/26/2012

Then Sawyer turned to the crew and said, "Because that's a lot, right? I wouldn't know since I haven't pumped gas since I was growning up back in Corn Cob, Kentucky."

[SocialTinker]

10:07 AM on 02/26/2012

While the media is reporting on the symptoms of our economic system, the root cause is seldom discussed. Maybe it's that the media has a vested interest in our economic system.

[Spock]

03:25 PM on 02/26/2012

Its most definitely not a supply problem. The US is EXPORTING gas right now.

[duh]

08:07 PM on 02/26/2012

I believe it's only refined gas products....like the kind that Iran needs.

[BlackTom]

09:28 AM on 02/26/2012

Whoa !
That's $1.50 per gallon more than all the Intermountain West states. Yikes, CA !

[pjordan]

06:10 AM on 02/26/2012

Republicans are always yakin' about the genius of the free market yet now they are demanding Obama do something. Which is it? Free enterprise or big government coming to the rescue? It's doesn't really jive with capitalist philosophy when 4 gas stations at the intersection down the street are charging the exact same price.

[HDR]

11:04 AM on 02/26/2012

I was wondering the same thing.

[Spock]

03:29 PM on 02/26/2012

Station owners have said they are prohibited from changing the price from what they are told to charge. This sounds an awful lot like COLLUSION..

[pjordan]

06:04 AM on 02/26/2012

you know who this doesn't effect.....the elitists packed into the New York subway.

[OP3366]

02:03 AM on 02/26/2012

Under Bush, gas prices rose from about $1.48 a gallon to about $4.25. And most of that increase was out of his hands. Now folks want to blame Obama, and the increase is out of his hands, as well. Most economists will tell you that the prime reason prices are rising today is because of commodity traders. This has nothing to do with government policy or drilling. U.S. oil production is currently at its highest level in a decade. (many sources, including The Financial Times of London)

[Spock]

09:24 AM on 02/26/2012

I just saw a chart that showed US oil production during the Bush years WENT DOWN. Under Obama oil production is going up. Looks like oil production is near where it was when Bush was appointed president in 2001.

The president really does a terrible job at getting this information out. He shouldn't count on the "liberal media" for help. They're to busy lapping up republican talking points.

[Spock]

03:32 PM on 02/26/2012

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/bush-obama-oil-production-graph-1.jpg?tag=content;siu-container

[OP3366]

04:31 PM on 02/26/2012

The whole idea of a liberal media is a joke, anyway.