Viewer James McGrath was critical of the station’s coverage, earlier this week, of an accident in North Providence in which an apparently unlicensed tree cutter was trapped in a tree and badly injured by a falling limb.
“I think the photographers and editorial staff were less than professional in their lack of discretion in showing the video of the injured man suspended in the tree,” wrote Mr. McGrath . “I think this type of reporting unnecessarily deprives the victim of his privacy, and dignity, and those involved should be ashamed.”
The video accompanying the story showed the injured man dangling from the tree, his leg trapped and rescuers from the fire department and two local tree companies working to free him. The man’s legs were broken, with one at an apparently awkward angle, but the video did not show that. The main’s face, displaying obvious pain, could be seen briefly.
NBC10′s Chris Lanni, who oversaw the production of the story, said there were discussions about use of the video, which he described as “uncomfortable but not graphic.” He said the decision was made to use the video, but not the audio, on which the mans screams of pain and pleas for help could be heard. The audio was not as essential to the story as the video, he said, which highlighted the importance of homeowners hiring properly trained and equipped contractors.
Scrolling back through previous posts, viewers will recognize that this is not an unusual issue. There is sometimes a difficult line between personal privacy (or good taste) and the duties of a news organization to convey information. This was a very public drama played out in front of scores of people, and with police, fire, and various rescuers involved. More importantly, the images clearly showed the dangers of attempting difficult and dangerous work without the proper training, manpower or equipment.
Television is, as we’ve frequently noted here, a visual medium and its value, both competitively and in the public interest, is to use pictures effectively. Witnessing the video of the accident was, as Lanni suggests, uncomfortable but not graphic and the greater good was likely served by its use.
The video and story are at http://www.turnto10.com/jar/news/local/article/crews_trying_to_rescue_man_from_tree/14337/
