Pass or Play?

PLAY.

We're pretty aware of what has been going on in Haiti. It's not pretty. A lot of images and stories that we're getting are coming from the truckloads of reporters (that come with the truckloads of supplies) making the trip to the hit country.

I was reading an article on Sphere, covering how reporters are doing "double duty" acting as both reporters and humanitarians in Haiti. However, this goes much against the journalistic rule of not getting personally involved in the stories they are covering. I've posted the most dramatic video footage from the article above, which features Anderson Cooper (when it says viewer discretion is advised... CNN means it) pulling a injured boy to safety. Also according to the article, Dr. Sanjay Gupta was criticized for getting into the action too often.

However, I see the journalists also as people who have human common sense. Unless the danger is too much, how can someone just watch people struggle when their two hands can make the difference between life and death? If I was in that situation down there, I'd try to give my hand where help was needed. I think many of the journalism doctors (Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN, Dr. Jennifer Ashton of CBS, and Dr. Richard Besser of ABC, and others) are doing right for helping out. Any doctor to help out with traumatic surgeries and to aid the hundreds looking for medical attention, is helpful. Their health care infrastructure is truly non-existent right now.

In Halti, safety is a gamble, but when the opportunity calls, (its kinda like a game show), like in Port-au-Prince, I think its worth it to take a risk.

I wish I could go down there, and from what I've heard, a lot of us medical students want to do so too. However, we are always willing to offer our thoughts, prayers, and donations to the people of Haiti.