32 Entertainment
Newshub's Mike McRoberts in Typhoon Hagibis is 'reckless and dangerous'
M
ike
McRoberts'
broadcast
in Typhoon
Hagibis has been called
dangerous and irresponsible.
However, a weather
forecaster says it's important
reporters and camera
operators risk their lives to
show how powerful storms
are.
Newshub posted a
video of McRoberts and
cameraman Blair Martin
filming in the typhoon,
which killed 35 people
and left more than a dozen
people missing. The typhoon
lashed the country on the
weekend with 225kmh
winds, causing landslides,
tornadoes and severe
flooding, which destroyed
homes and buildings.
The broadcast aired during
the 6pm news on Sunday,
showing McRoberts hanging
onto a railing as he was
nearly blown over by the
force of the wind.
McRoberts said on the AM
Show, they decided to leave
the safety of their hotel to
film during the storm to
give people "a bit more of a
perspective".
NewshubNZ's posted
footage of the filming on its
Instagram page, saying it
showed commitment
The post attracted dozens
of negative comments,
with followers saying
it was "dangerous
stupidity", "idiotic and
irresponsible" and "reckless
and dangerous". Others
said it wasn't acceptable
for Newshub to allow
employees to film in a
typhoon.
"This annoys me, why
would you put your reporter
out there in that weather
when there are a number
of dangers out there,"
Imjusthere101 said.
Nordict said common
sense had been lost:
"What level of stupidity
do you need to have to put
someones life at risk, just to
report a story. Shame on you
Newshub."
Countessschristine
questioned McRoberts'
commitment: "Commitment"
to what?? He may have
The Auckland Times | Issue 185| October 15, 2019
requested to do this shot,
but you should've shut
it down when there are
crew members and others
involved who are also in
danger... Mike can be as
much of a moron as he
wants, but he's putting others
in danger too. Shame on you
#boycottnewshubnz."
​There was one positive
comment from Jaime
Wynyard. "Yeah Mike and
Cameraman. Love it, Love
the dedication," he said.
A MediaWorks
spokesperson said safety
for staff was a top priority
and staff were advised to
take precaution and put their
safety first at all times.
"Mike is an extremely
experienced reporter
and made the decision
that a report in the storm
would give viewers the
best perspective. We have
complete confidence in his
ability and the fact these
images have gone around the
world shows the impact his
report has had at bringing
the realities of the typhoon
to the world."
Weather Watch head
forecaster Philip Duncan
said it was dangerous to
broadcast in the typhoon,
but it was important to show
people how powerful the
storm was.
"There are some people who
push back against people
who go chasing storms or
following tropical storms but
... if we didn't have reporters
doing that, a lot of people
wouldn't truly get the same
feeling for what happens in
these disasters," he said.
"It is a risky job but
someone actually has to
do it, so I admire him for
doing it. It's something that
storm chasers have to have
a certain type of brain space
for and a certain tough gut
instinct for but he's been in
war zones so I'm assuming
he knows what he's doing."
McRoberts is no stranger
to reporting in dangerous
conditions, having famously
been Three's go-to guy
for natural disasters and
conflicts in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria,
Timor and Fiji.
Duncan said he didn't
believe McRoberts' reporting
of the storm was being used
to hype up the storm.
"It's really done for
real reporting services, so I
think this kind of reporting
is needed. Mike McRoberts
has been into war zones, this
is right up there with that
same kind of danger and he
knows the risks he's taking
and I think that's admirable
if they do it sensibly."
Duncan admired reporters
and camera operators who
filmed the storms.
"These storms are very
dangerous once you're in
them, actually terrifying, but
I do admire the reporters ...
and the camera operators
that go out there to film it,
capture it, and risk their own
lives to show everybody
else just how powerful these
storms really can be.
"Sometimes the
aftermath, as dramatic as it
is, still doesn't even show
what a storm can be like."
MetService
meteorologist Lewis Ferris
said Typhoon Hagibis was
"very destructive and very
extreme".
"Tropical cyclones and
typhoons are about as severe
as weather can get and the
most important thing around
severe weather is heeding
the warnings given by the
official weather forecaster,
so in this instance, it was
the Japanese Meteorological
Agency," he said.
"They issued these
warnings to basically in the
most extreme event prevent
loss of life."