72 Hours Under Fire

As was mentioned in class, when broadcast news stations pay special attention to events going on in the world, it usually comes in some form of an hour special.  This past weekend I watch 72 Hours Under Fire.  A special report that offers a behind the scenes look at reporting in Syria. A special that originally aired on CNN on March 11.  CNN sent a three person team into Homs, Syria to report on the on the unrest that started there last March. The team was able  capture images from a clinic in Homs that was run by two doctors and 20 volunteers and footage of the daily bombing and fighting that has caused most residents to flee or hide.  From the special the viewers where able to get a true understanding of the unrest and devastation that has been going on in Syria.  This special also does a great job at showing the difficulty that journalist in the field face and many of the dilemmas that they face such as; when to turn off the camera and help and when to stay back and not intervene. A quote from the journalist on the team explains how difficult it can be, "You have to be in it – seeing it, smelling it, listening to it – so that at the end of the day you can do justice to what the people are suffering. And [the activists] know by having us there, it’s going to help tell that story.”
"72 Hours Under Fire also reveals the tough choices news executives like Maddox were constantly having to make, including pulling the team out of Syria before Damon wanted to leave."