Scary Live Shot
July 18, 2008 at 11:44 am | In Uncategorized | 3 CommentsFor most of the adrenaline junkies in this business, breaking news is like fuel for a fire. There’s an active scene; information is constantly changing; you have to think on your feet. So being in such an intense situation can be very exciting at times.
Today, I covered this police manhunt in Dallas. Four men held up a convenience store clerk at gunpoint, stole an ATM, and then took off. An off-duty police officer spotted them, and started chasing after their car. These guys were driving about 90 miles an hour, and shooting at the officer. Eventually, after several more on-duty officers got involved, the suspects wreck out near a park and run off into a thick, wooded area.
That’s where all the reporters did live shots this morning, as police searched for these gunmen/robbers.
Right before my 6:30 live shot, the police officers behind us, who were blocking off streets, all draw their guns, and aim toward the woods DIRECTLY BEHIND ME!
Meanwhile, I am about to be on TV in 1 minute, so my back is turned to all the activity… and my heart is racing. At the beginning of my live shot, you can actually see SWAT coming over in their black armored vehicle. I was wishing at that point I had one of those to protect me!
It turns out, they didn’t find anything in that specific patch of trees, but it was enough to put me on edge… In a breaking news situation, you never know WHAT will happen.
Here’s a link to the story: http://video.nbc5i.com/player/?id=277143
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While I understand the attraction of ‘breaking news’ and can speculate (as a non-media layperson) about what “sells”, I’m dusturbed by a link a friend just sent me, showing live coverage of a bank stand off in Denver today…coverage that includes a live video feed of police sharpshooter positions outside the bank, and running commentary on the police response – information that would not only seem to be at odds with the police doing their job, but that also could clearly be putting officers’ lives in danger. I suppose that the DPD could try and demand those cameras be turned off, but shouldn’t the media exercise some prudence and restraint in cases like these, on their own accord? I’m respectfully curious for your opinion about something like this.
Comment by brian — July 23, 2008 #
Brian, that is a great observation. In the event of a standoff, police often ask the media to stay back, and especially live cameras, like those on choppers, are asked not to reveal police officers’ positions in the area. NBC5 is always respectful of that. In fact, even with the Dallas manhunt, police asked us to keep the helicopter high and at a distance. We did. I have a great respect for police and the job they do. We would never want to put an officer’s life in danger. However, with that said, in this situation, we WERE far back. No one, not even police expected the manhunt to get that close to the street corner where the media was set up. The officers were simply there for traffic control. Luckily, it was probably just an animal that made noise in the brush behind us, but police, and the media, can never be too careful! thanks for the comment!
Comment by melissanewton — July 24, 2008 #
Melissa, thank you for your response. I think yesterday’s situation in Denver was mostly a failure of local law enforcement to properly control the scene – and that’s THEIR responsibility. I wasn’t there, and should probably reserve judgement….but this is the Internet, so I’ll say it: they screwed up. And It’s good to know that the media does think about the impact they make on the news they’re covering. Keep up the great work.
Meanwhile, you’re saying there’s an animal in the brush out there, somewhere? Roaming freely?
Comment by brian — July 24, 2008 #