Gotta love how a disaster brings out the best in everybody. Like When CNN is pimping their audience to give them juicy footage to air between commercials :

If you live in an area impacted by Hurricane Katrina, we’re encouraging you, if you’re able to, to e-mail us your photos and video and become one of CNN’s citizen journalists. You can do that by logging on to cnn.com/stories. Please include your name, location, phone number. Your safety, of course, is of utmost importance. So please, don’t put yourself in harm’s way.

Even with the tepid disclaimer at the end of the pitch, CNN should be ashamed of themselves for encouraging people to put themselves in dangerous situations. It’s times like these when I think the media is doing a valuable service in keeping the public informed and urging them to seek shelter, but CNN’s irresponsible plea for “citizen journalists” is just a reminder that the urge to do the right thing is still secondary to their desire for inter-network bragging rights and higher ratings.