What would I do in Haiti?

With the recent earthquake in Haiti, relief and aid has been flooding into the small country. Along with help, news teams are amongst the chaos. Anderson Cooper of CNN is one of the many reporters giving coverage of the catastrophe. He recently has caused much debate over the issue of involving yourself, the reporter, in the story. As a young boy was almost beaten to death, Cooper intervened and saved the boy. Rushing him to safety, Cooper became the story.

The question at hand is whether or not I would have done the same. Morally, the answer is simple. In any case, I would want to help someone who is in need of help. It seems like common decency. Journalistic, it does seem to be a conflict of interest, involving yourself in the story. However, in terms of individual stardom, the move is pure genius.

Think of it this way. I am a young reporter straight out of college, working in Haiti. No one knows who I am. While covering a story, I see a boy being beaten to death. I rush in to help, save the boy, and become a hero. In terms of the story, I just created it. In terms of my own celebrity status, I just created it. Overall, it does not help the journalism field, however for selfish reasons, it helps the individual reporter, therefore, I would do the same.

Kevin Carter had this same issue back in 1993, as he snapped a photograph that would later win him the coveted Pulitzer Prize. In Sudan during it's famine, Carter found a toddler struggling to move to food. As he watched, a vulture landed behind the young girl, waiting patiently. After waiting for 20 minutes for the bird to spread it's wings, Carter took the picture and shooed the bird away. The picture captured the anguish in the famine in Sudan, however Carter caught criticism for his choice to stay out of the situation. Carter would commit suicide two months after being awarded the Pulitzer Prize. He hooked up a hose to the exhaust on his car and pulled it through to his window. He left a note.

"I'm really, really sorry," he wrote. "The pain of life overrides the joy to the point that joy does not exist."

More on Kevin Carter can be found at Time.