There is something wrong when somone's first instinct, upon witnessing someone getting injured in front of them, is to take a photo and post it on a social media website. In the past, reporters have been vilified, called ghoulish and insensitive, when they arrived at the scene of a crash or a fire to take photos for their newspapers. And because of that, good reporters are usually careful about what kind of shots they take at those scenes, and good editors still carefully select photos to run in the paper, sensitive to those involved in what happened, and what their families might be feeling. However, it seems that more and more people want to be reporters, but without all that pesky responsibility, integrity or sensitivity to those involved. I was informed last week that when a collision occurred between two vehicles at the intersection of Hwys. 5 and 20 in Humboldt - a collision that resulted in a truck carrying a male driver and two young children ending up on its roof - photos of the collision scene were on Facebook in a matter of seconds, even before emergency crews arrived at the scene.People were taking photos and posting them online instead of running over to see if someone was injured or needed help. That's worse than just standing there. It's almost understandable that when witnessing something like that, happening so suddenly, even a passer-by would be in shock and unable to move, especially if they are untrained in first aid and have no idea what to do. But these people didn't freeze. They didn't "not know" what to do. They actually chose to do something completely the opposite of helping. Even as a reporter, I don't think I'd be able to remove myself that much from the situation that I would simply take photos instead of at least going over to check out the situation and offer whatever help I could. It worries me that people were able to detach themselves enough that their first thought was to whip out their phone or camera.Have we become that insensitive to one another that we don't want to offer our assistance to someone in need, we just want to post what they are going through online, to be the first to post what happened? Do we not see others as people anymore, as comrades in our human existence, but only as fodder for online updates and/or entertainment?What if one of those children, or anyone involved in that collision, had been killed? What if their immediate family had learned of their death by checking out Facebook? Would that thrill of "I posted it first!" still be there for the person who put it there? Or would it switch to "I wish I hadn't posted that"? Would they live with the regret forever?I hope they would. But one never knows these days. I hate taking photos at collision scenes. It's one of the least favourite parts of my job. But it's something that I'm expected to do, and so I do it. It's incomprehensible to me why people who are under no obligation to snap pictures of people in crisis would be so quick to do so. There is a responsibility you take on when you report on something in a public forum - either a newspaper or even your own Facebook page. And I don't think many understand that. Once something is out there, it can't be taken back. Words, once said, cannot be unsaid. And the same goes for the Internet. It can never be unposted. Think about that - and what that post says about you as a person - before you do it next time.
