Should the press take in active roll in helping people

[DanCa]

I was watching the tv this morning and I was wondering. Shouldn't the press be doing more than videotapping? I am well aware that the press shouldn't become the news but this is an extreme case.
What prompted my post was I watched a disabled elderly person being placed in a stretcher to be waitting to be air lifted. I couldn't help but wonder if someone couldn't have given him water or an asprin from the back of the news truck.

[LSK]

1. i watched a news van taping a little girl begging for help

Her father was in waste deep water and she was on top of junk just barely out of the water. She was begging, "please help us" over and over and they motherfuckers just drove off after taping her for a minute.

[MercutioATC]

4. THAT, I don't agree with.

At the very least, they should have moved them to dry ground and dropped them off.

[MercutioATC]

2. Other: Yes, in a very limited way.

Water and aspirin, fine. Radioing the location of stranded people to authorities, fine.

However, I don't want to see them getting bogged down by essentially becoming rescue workers. As important as helping people is, it's also important to record events so there's a record for the rest of the world to see.

[DanCa]

6. I agree with you 100 percent. (nt)

[bloom]

3. I was thinking about all of the press people whose efforts

are duplicated - how many people do you need wasting helicopter and boat space?

At what point DO they ever start helping? Or at least start getting out of the way.

[intheflow]

5. Would it kill them to bring some f'ing water to toss to people from

their helicopters? I know water is heavy, but so is professional camera equipment. They could be shooting with home camcorders and get useable footage, and bring the tape back to the studio rather than "reporting live from Skycopter Whatever". That would free up a lot of weight that could be used for water drops.