THOSE PHYSICIAN-REPORTERS in Haiti are actually practicing medicine and saving lives, and some journalism "ethicists" are having hissy fits.

While reporters should help when they can save a life or prevent profound harm, "I think it's very hard for an individual who is professionally and emotionally engaged in saving lives to be able to simultaneously step back from the medical work and practice independent journalistic truth-telling," said Bob Steele, journalism values scholar at the Poynter Institute and journalism professor at DePauw University.

"Truth-telling" is more important than saving lives? Not exactly.

(B)y focusing on the work being done by their own staff, "news organizations at some point appear to be capitalizing for promotional reasons on the intervention by journalists," Steele added.

Oh, no ... they're engaging in capitalism! Horrors. I guess Anderson Cooper should have let that kid die to retain his journalistic integrity.

No wonder "professional journalists" are held in such low regard.