"Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die?
At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eye."
When you think about it, it's kind of amazing that reporters are able to keep their emotions under control as much as they do. It was touching to watch the video in class last week about the reporter that got emotional about the hurricane. I wish that I could say that I would be a more subjective reporter, but I know myself well enough to know that it would be really hard for me to not cry in a situation like that. I imagine myself as a reporter during 9/11, during tsunamis, hurricanes, and I know it would be a real struggle for me to keep myself together.
In 2010, when the earthquake in Haiti happened, there was extreme devastation that came as a result of the natural disaster. This video shows an example of the devastation in Haiti, and how one FOX News reporter named Steve Harrigan was affected by the event. The video is 5 minutes long, but I would recommend watching just the first 3 minutes.
Isn't interesting how you can just hear in his voice how awful the conditions were? You can sense the empathy he has for the people, and it almost makes the event feel more human and real.
As important is it is to remain subjective in journalism, I think it's also important to acknowledge that reporting is a human activity. Sometimes, it's nearly impossible to separate emotion and information, and I do think that it is ok for this to happen--especially in broadcast reporting. After all, it's not good to always be robots in your approach to journalism.
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