As Irma’s Winds Rise, So Does a Debate Over TV Storm Reporting
- 7 years ago
As Irma’s Winds Rise, So Does a Debate Over TV Storm Reporting
Even Mr. Cuomo acknowledged the criticism: “There is a strong argument to be made that standing in a storm is not a smart thing to do.”
>> @ChrisCuomo on CNN just now: "There is a strong argument to be made that standing in a storm is not a smart thing to do."
“I think it’s a fair question: Why would you have reporters standing potentially in harm’s way who are telling people to do exactly the opposite?” Mark Strassmann,
a CBS News correspondent who has covered hurricanes for 25 years, said in an interview shortly after taking part in a live special from Miami.
“Everyone says, ‘Well, look, if you’re standing out in the storm, Sam, then how come I can’t stand out in the storm?’ ” Mr. Champion said.
Working for KHOU in Houston, he broadcast the first live radar image of a hurricane — Hurricane Carla — on television
and took to the streets to show the conditions firsthand.
Early Sunday morning, Bill Weir, a veteran CNN correspondent, was talking to the anchor Chris Cuomo in the middle of a live shot in Key Largo, Fla.
And around noon, Kyung Lah, a reporter for CNN, said on the air from Miami Beach, “If I didn’t have this steel railing, I’d be flying.”
"Possibly twice my height coming up here ... everywhere you go here in Naples are communities like this."
But the news value of dangerous stand-ups — in which a correspondent is seen in the field talking
to the camera — is increasingly being questioned, particularly with the rise of social media.
Even Mr. Cuomo acknowledged the criticism: “There is a strong argument to be made that standing in a storm is not a smart thing to do.”
>> @ChrisCuomo on CNN just now: "There is a strong argument to be made that standing in a storm is not a smart thing to do."
“I think it’s a fair question: Why would you have reporters standing potentially in harm’s way who are telling people to do exactly the opposite?” Mark Strassmann,
a CBS News correspondent who has covered hurricanes for 25 years, said in an interview shortly after taking part in a live special from Miami.
“Everyone says, ‘Well, look, if you’re standing out in the storm, Sam, then how come I can’t stand out in the storm?’ ” Mr. Champion said.
Working for KHOU in Houston, he broadcast the first live radar image of a hurricane — Hurricane Carla — on television
and took to the streets to show the conditions firsthand.
Early Sunday morning, Bill Weir, a veteran CNN correspondent, was talking to the anchor Chris Cuomo in the middle of a live shot in Key Largo, Fla.
And around noon, Kyung Lah, a reporter for CNN, said on the air from Miami Beach, “If I didn’t have this steel railing, I’d be flying.”
"Possibly twice my height coming up here ... everywhere you go here in Naples are communities like this."
But the news value of dangerous stand-ups — in which a correspondent is seen in the field talking
to the camera — is increasingly being questioned, particularly with the rise of social media.