Live Shots in bad neighborhoods

[John K. Simon]

Hello-

The story- an 8 year old girl is abducted. Shortly after the police are called,
she and
her kidnapper are found in some nearby bushes.The victim may have been sexually
assaulted.

The live shot- On the sidewalk in front of the house and bushes where the
suspect was
captured. Several hours later, so there is no longer a police presence.

The problem- 4 young gang members (including one who said she was the mother of
the
victim) who didn't want us there. They were yelling at us from the moment we
started to
set up. The situation escalated to the point where they were right in front of
the
camera yelling and using 'one fingered' sign language.(before our hit time)
Meantime the
reporter and other photog(sent for security purposes-though we're not really
trained for
that type of work) are on the 2-way talking to the station. The folks back at
the
station made the wise decision that we didn't need the shot that badly. This is
about
the time when one of these kids slapped my camera. Yes, I got it on tape. We
tear down,
leave, and the situation is over.

The question is- Do stations have policies designed to prevent this type of
situation?
If not, maybe its something to think about. The follow up question is- if you do
have
such a policy, are the photogs,producers,directors, and desk people *aware* of
whatever
rules may be in effect? My own opinion (for live shots) is that sometimes, bad
neighborhoods should be avoided in the same way lightning storms always are.
I also know the bigger question here might be 'why were we going live so long
after the
incident in the first place?' But I believe that has been discussed on this list
before.

Thanks-
John (speaking for myself) Simon
KSL TV
Salt Lake City, UT

[Stan Pechner]

SNIP>>>The problem- 4 young gang members (including one who said she was the

mother of the victim) who didn't want us there. They were yelling at us from
the moment we started to set up. The situation escalated to the point where
they were right in front of the camera yelling and using 'one fingered' sign

language....The folks back at the station made the wise decision that we

didn't need the shot that badly.

The question is- Do stations have policies designed to prevent this type of
situation?

"I'm standing here, where hours ago..."
Hey, I feel your pain. If there is one thing I hate, is a worthless, live,
tape toss. Especially when the Reporter is standing in the ever popular BLACK
HOLE. We don't have a policy per say, but, when we are asked to do a liveshot
in a neighborhood that is less than desirable, we can just say no. If we are
at a crime scene and there is no longer a police presence and we feel our
safety is in question, a phone call to the Producer and the shot is dead. No
story is worth the danger of harm to you or anyone else in your crew. I don't
know of any station that wants a lawsuit on there hands because they made a
crew stay in harms way. Just say no!

Stan Pechner
Photojournalist
KOVR-TV
Sacatomatoes, CA