Littleton, Tornadoes, etc.
Kenneth D. Hazlett
very brief comment seemed insensitive and/or offended you. It was my
intent (in the fewest words possible) to make a statement on how far
overboard the national media had gone in covering Littleton incessantly for
two weeks, not to trivialize the affects of Monday's horrible disaster in
Oklahoma and Kansas. Everyone apparently missed that point, so I guess I
should have been more wordy in my post.
A few years back, I worked in Little Rock for over 5 years and SW
Missouri for a year, and covered the aftermath of tornadoes many more times
than I would like to remember. I've never seen an F-4 (and wouldn't want
to), but I have repeatedly seen many of the tiniest details of how a
tornado destroys people's lives far more than it destroys property and
kills or injures. I didn't enjoy being a witness to such tradgedy back
then, and I'm sure I wouldn't find it exciting or "fun" work now either. I
don't think that tornadoes, death, or destruction such as happened Monday
night are a joke -- far from it. I do think that too many PJs and other
journalists get a bit too much of a thrill out of observing the misery and
suffering of others -- the job needs to be done, but perhaps not with quite
so much obvious pleasure.
I work my normal 40 hours a week as a PJ (plus up to 20 hours of OT),
often watching the worst of what happens in this world. During the rest of
my week, I work as an EMT-D on a volunteer ambulance (and I am currently
the Chief of that service). I can truly appreciate what the victims and
the rescuers might be going through in many of the disasters and tradgedies
I see on the national news, because I have been a rescuer for 15 years. I
am painfully aware of the terrible things that victims must go through, and
although I am often proud of the work we do, I am also often disgusted and
ashamed at how many in the media make things so much worse for the victims
of tradgedies like Littleton and these tornadoes by hounding them
incessantly. I try to give something back to my own community by going out
on an ambulance and attempting to help people, and I only hope that what I
do away from work with the volunteer ambulance somehow helps to make up a
bit for all of the harm we often do in our business. What do you do after
your work day is over ?
Again, I'm sorry if my few words bothered you. They were meant to
enlighten, not to be hurtful.
Ken
*********************************************
KENNETH D. HAZLETT
Television News Photojournalist
Emergency Medical Technician
E-Mail : haze...@frontiernet.net --OR-- Freck...@aol.com
SnailMail : P.O. Box 603, Henrietta NY 14467-0603
--------------------------------------------------------------
Shakespeare wrote, "First, kill all of the lawyers".
Forget the lawyers . . . . . kill the damned consultants !
*********************************************
Steven E. Frischling
I do think that too many PJs and other
journalists get a bit too much of a thrill
out of observing the misery and suffering
of others -- the job needs to be done,
but perhaps not with quite so much obvious
pleasure.
I work as an EMT-D on a volunteer ambulance
(and I am currently the Chief of that service).
I can truly appreciate what the victims and
the rescuers might be going through in many of
the disasters and tradgedies I see on the
national news, because I have been a rescuer
for 15 years.
Ken:
I do not think it is obvious pleasure you see
while observing journalists at these scenes,
I think it is gallows humour. I think the
"pleasure" and "humour" you observe in many of
the PJs is to compensate for the pain, it
keeps the journalists sane. As an EMT-D I am
sure you know a number of Techs & Medics who
thrive on disaster, your heart beats a little
faster when the dispatcher says "Pin-Job" or
"MCI."
Just like EMS Tech's & Medics, journalists and
photoJs either thrive in these situations or
they get timid in these situations,and often
there is very little middle ground between the
two. I know I have made some jokes about some
very terrible situations, as have friends of
mine, I know I have made comments like "damn
why can't that happen here, it's been a slow
week," I am sure many others have made these
comments, I know a few who have, and I know
some have and will never admit it. I have
friends of mine who are fire-medics who jump
everytime there is a major job anywhere in
the local battalion area, whether their FD
was called or not, I know my ex-medic
partner was a trauma junkie, he'd take our
unit to "buff" any job we could get to (made
the dispatcher a little upset, except my
partner was the shift commander).
I understand where you are coming from, but
sometimes it is just blowing off steam, or
hiding ones fears when they get flippant
about disaster situations. I know I have
made a number of bad jokes about TWA 800,
but I also know that I never want to see
my negatives again from the night the 747
crashed. Making jokes, seeming all confident
and strong is what kept me and keeps me from
falling down in a ball of tears. Some folks
have said I seem to revel in the fact that I
get in and out of tough situations, I often
joke that "I want more action" but having
seen and photographed and heard the screams
of somethings like five teens stomping
another teen to death, the jokes, the straight
face, etc are how I cope with it, and don't
just curl up in a ball, turn the lights out
and never get out of my bed.
Just my $0.02, I am sure some will differ with
my comments.
Happy Hunting Y'all
Steven E. Frischling
Photojournalist
1(516)791-6114 - Voice
1(630)982-5179 - Fax
ste...@frischling.com
http://www.frischling.com/steven
-
Basic Elemental, Instinct To Survive,
Stirs The Higher Passions, Thrill To Be Alive
-
Sent by Discovery Mail
Steve
"Thank you all for you comments on my previous post. My apologies
if my
very brief comment seemed insensitive and/or offended you. It
was my
intent (in the fewest words possible) to make a statement on how far
overboard the national media had gone in covering Littleton incessantly
for
two weeks, not to trivialize the affects of Monday's horrible disaster
in
Oklahoma and Kansas. Everyone apparently missed that point, so
I guess I
should have been more wordy in my post."
Ken:
I don't think you need to be wordy at all in making your point. What logical person in the group would assume you were happy about a natural disaster that killed and injured hundreds. Come on. I think your first post was just fine.
Remember everyone. Read, breath, think and then react!! Why are we so quick to jump all over one another?
-steve