SHOCK INTERVIEWS ON LOCAL TV

Channel 8 at 11 last night really ticked me off. One thing I hate about TV newscasts is when they take advantage of people who are deeply in shock immediately after the loss of a loved one. The newscast can tell the story but the heart-wrenching interviews should only occur when the people are in their right minds, and after you lose three kids in a fire, you are not in your right mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if that mother from Salem has no recollection later of even talking to the reporters. She was clearly in shock, showing her kids' pictures and talking about how it felt like they’d be home the next day. Channel 8 and any of the other stations who stuck a camera in her face, at that time, should be ashamed of themselves.
Once when my brother was in Egypt, his bosses told him to go and videotape the parents of a kid who had just stepped on some ordinance at the beach and been blown up. My brother flat-out refused to do it. He told them he didn’t care if they fired him, it wasn’t going to happen, and he went on to have a spectacular career in TV journalism. So there is a right way.
And don't say, "But you watched." I flipped away for what seemed like 30 or 45 seconds and when I came back they were still showing the kids' pictures and talking to the Mom. I don't think we need that, and more importantly, I don't think SHE needs that.