The world needed that statement. In the second instance, the journalists should have put the man's life first. But the line that separates one from the other is not that distinct. When journalists stumble upon life-threatening scenes with no context within which to judge what's going on, they should help if they're needed. But when they set out to do a story that they think may involve crime or pain, they should be prepared to watch rather than to react.
Society needs journalists who put professional duty before their desire to help.
It's the same kind of need that society has for attorneys who are willing to defend those guilty of heinous crimes, despite their own horror at the crimes committed. At times, playing the role of observer and documenter of events can be a dirty job, but it's the journalist's job to do it. Elliott is director of the Ethics Institute, Dartmouth College. The Newsletter On Journalism Ethics, vol. Reprinted with the permission of Billy Goat Strut Publishing.