There’s one outstanding – or rather, upstanding – issue for TV journalists in the debris-strewn wake of Harvey and Irma. Simply, how many times to we want to see some lone reporter out in the eye of the storm, reeling and rocking, to show how malevolent nature has become?
Social media took up the health and safety cudgels last week. Did we have to wait until someone was blown away before stopping this risky routine? More pertinently, how was this supposed to encourage people to stay inside if those doing the urging were out in the danger zone?
But the New York Times had a historical footnote that hit the spot. “The custom of reporters broadcasting live from hurricanes began with Dan Rather … in 1961. Working for KHOU in Houston, he broadcast the first live radar image of a hurricane – Carla – on television and took to the streets to show the conditions firsthand. CBS took the broadcast live, giving viewers around the country their first look at the threat posed by such a storm. Pictures of Mr Rather wading through water propelled his rise to network anchor.”
Splish! Splosh! Your sodden stairway to the stars.
