Posted on 12/27/2004 6:56:03 PM PST by wagglebee
Besides grateful relatives, tourists returning from Asian countries struck by the killer tsunami are likely to be met by news agency representatives hunting for video of the cataclysmic event.
"There will still be, I think, the definitive shot, the wall of water," Sandy MacIntyre, director of news for Associated Press Television News in London, said Monday.
American TV networks have been rushing reporters and camera crews to countries affected by the disaster. As they cover the aftermath, there's also an intense effort to find video of the event as it happened, to convey the awesome power of the natural phenomenon.
APTN is competing fiercely with another news agency, Reuters, to acquire video. APTN producers were sent to six airports in Europe and Asia on Monday to ask tourists if they had captured the scene on their home video cameras, MacIntyre said.
CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC covered the story heavily Monday, often running the same video clips over and over.
The most arresting shot was taken from the roof of a building at Pa Tong beach in Thailand, showing a giant wave crashing into the shore and spilling into buildings and onto streets. It was taken by an Australian tourist and acquired by an Australian television station as soon as he arrived in Sydney, said Anna Murray, an APTN news editor.
Another frequently seen clip showed a pool overrun by a wave, with terrified sunbathers trying to run away. It was shot by a tourist in Sri Lanka, Murray said. Another shot shows a different pool being overtaken by ocean water pouring in from over a hill.
News agencies must depend on amateurs for this video. Many may still be traumatized by the event and may not realize what they caught on camera, MacIntyre said.
"Obviously there weren't news crews staking out the beaches," said Chuck Lustig, ABC News director of foreign news.
Like the steadily climbing death toll, the story should continue to unfold over the next several days.
"There are still places where journalists haven't been yet - or even relief agencies and government workers," Lustig said.
There are pictures already posted on FR.
is there really a "dramatic tsunami pictures" ping list? this place is getting weird.
It was amazing during Hurricane Isabel how many people were badly suckered by that obviously photoshopped pic of the tanker supposedly about to enter Isabel. I have no doubt it would be even easier for this tsunami.
I'm sure if there's a photoshopped pic the DEAD giveaway will be that it will be a big North coast of Oahu curling breaker photoshopped into a pic...
"I'm sure if there's a photoshopped pic the DEAD giveaway will be that it will be a big North coast of Oahu curling breaker photoshopped into a pic..."
Even better if they put the "WTC Observation Deck Guy" on a board riding that thing.
#37 - (thanks to our FRiend EXPATGUY)
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More Photos from Phuket
High Resolution Phuket Tsunami Photos
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Hellmut Issels (the photographer) did a great job with these shots. He was in one way lucky to be at the right place at the right time, while unlucky enough to have to witness this.
Ping
When Waves Attack! On Fox!
from what I have heard, the most intense stuff (wave height, speed) hit Sri Lanka - not sure there will be much video from there. the thailand video has more a look af a flash flood then a tsunami.
That's because that's what tsunamis actually look like. They don't look like what you think tsunamis look like. There's no giant movie curling breaking wave.
A French Scientist has already blamed greedy human Capitalists for this disaster(front page yahoo)... destroying the mangos and the coral by building Resorts and such.
media reports from sri lankan witnesses talked about 30 foot waves moving 50MPH - that's not what that thailand video shows. the sri lankan hit was a total wipeout of structures at the immediate coastline, not what we see in that thailand video.
I reckon the really good pics are still in the cameras of the dead photographers who really got a good look at the wall of water.
Vultures.
Larry King was begging people to call in tonight.
Was my thought, too, from early on. Wonder if any will come out of such.
Is that true?
*Gulp*
We really are an idiot species. It would not be much different here if a Tsunami came without warning. I am sure that if the sea receded half a mile on Santa Monica beach most people would just watch and many would walk way out into the empty bay to oggle the stranded sea life.
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