Thank you for taking the time to look and comment.

gwilliams6 response was VERY informative and answered my question along with an excellent example. The YouTube link he provided led to a documentary about the beginning days of the Ukraine war. It is graphic in places and heartbreaking. I would recommend watching it if you have an hour and a half to spare. This video shows some of what a photojournalist goes through to get the story.

TerryVS, mnmark, and Tom W were helpful with their responses also. I hope you saw those as well.

Dodie

As a retired first responder(firefighter/paramedic) with decades behind me, we appreciate it when members of the media show the respect you have mentioned.

Sometimes the line in the sand is hard to see in the fog of war or the clouds of smoke and the press would become part of the scene rather than being a witness/reporter to it.

I was photographed many times on rescues and fires. The positive thing is my grandkids and great grandkids can see what their "old Pop" did in his life's journey.

I always hoped others learned from the mistakes, or lapse of judgement, people made to get themselves in the predicaments that created a 9-1-1 call.

Sadly history often repeats itself.

While the answer above is very correct and informative I too have decades of work. I'll tell you a couple incidents that's more along the moral question you ask.

I was covering a search for a young boy. He had been playing in the rain and was swept into a storm drain that immediately dumped into a creek. Dad and a clergy member were along the banks as well as many police and firefighters. They located the body and as luck would have it I was right there. So was dad. It was a horrible scene but the preacher thinking fast suggested everyone join hands in a circle and pray. I was telling the story to the director of photography and he ask what I did. I said I dropped my camera, joined hands and prayed. Many years later I'm not sure he approved but it didn't matter. I had documented the story and there would be opportunity to get the emotional shots later. In that moment my moral obligation was to pray with the group.

Another scene was a house fire with a child fatality. They had bagged up and loaded the child before the priest arrived. When he arrived the family requested last rites. A cop came over and explained to the media they planned to pull the body out for this. He made the simple request for us not to be a distraction. All of us walked away and allowed the family their space.

Documenting the most horrific scenes is an important job. Sometimes we upset family and it sucks. At all times you must be human.