When, If Ever, Should Journalists Get Involved?

Today's medianote was based on a recent ABC news story about abusive relationships in step-families. The report included video of a man hitting, slapping and verbally abusing his 15-year-old daughter. National Public Radio did a story on the public outrage over ABC's refusal to alert authorities as soon as they saw the disturbing video. The NPR story was our jumping off point for a discussion about when, if ever, should the need to help someone outweigh the need to get a story on the air or in print.