A TV weather reporter in Atlanta interrupted his live shot about Hurricane Helene Friday to rescue a woman from a vehicle stranded by rising floodwaters.
In video of the rescue, standing in the rain with the submerged vehicle behind him, FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen describes how the woman drove into a flooded area.
He says he has called 911, and she can be heard screaming as he tries to assure her that help is on the way. Then he says to the camera: “It’s a situation. We’ll get back to you in a little bit. I’m going to see if I can help this lady out a little bit more you guys.”
Van Dillen is then seen wading through the water with the woman on her back, carrying her to safety.
This article is weird. For one thing, the last sentence quoted is just confusing:
Who’s the “her” in that sentence? Anyway, the really confusing part is that they then consulted with an expert on journalistic ethics:
Why is the writer explaining this basic concept like I’m an alien? Sometimes, people stop doing their job for a few moments to save somebody’s life even though that’s not what their job entails. That’s interesting. Are the humans then punished for their dereliction of duty?
The “her back” thing I think is a typo. Unless I misheard I think the embedded video also includes a reporter recapping and saying “he’s got her on her back” too, so maybe the write up is carrying over that reporter misspeaking.
The last bit about journalistic ethics is because journalists aren’t supposed to get involved in the news they are reporting. Think “nature documentary.” E.g. a war correspondent isn’t supposed to intervene in combat to help someone in trouble. Obviously this wasn’t a war zone, and I think that’s more of a guideline than a rule.
Easy, it could be the reporter was riding on her back like a paddleboard
or pulling her along while she floated on her back like a floaty toy.
Or the reporter was an illegal alien who’s gender was reassigned.
Don’t overthink it
Sorry… you’re asking why the person who wrote the article is quoting the reporter who did the rescue? Because that’s basic journalism.
Look, I absolutely hate to do the reading comprehension thing but you’ve misread both the article and my comment on it. The reporter who performed the rescue was Fox’s Bob Van Dillen. The person quoted, however, is Subramaniam Vincent, director of journalism and media ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. The writer of this AP article quoted Vincent who recounted the situation. The writer also added some additional context to Vincent’s remarks which serve to explain the concept of rescuing a person who is crying out for help.
So … sorry … no. I’m not asking that.
Also adding a little bit of context: The comment in the article was made because journalists are usually required to not intervene and become the “news”.
I’m glad he ignored the rules and did the right thing.
As a fellow vagrant I approve this message.