'Fake News' Media Keeping Masses Informed, Literally Saving Lives In Houston

A local Houston television reporter spots a truck in 10 feet of water, its driver trapped inside as the flood slowly fills up his cab and threatens to drown him.

KHOU 11 reporter Brandi Smith and photographer Mario Sandoval, their station flooded and evacuated, are reporting live and alone and giving a thrilling, spine-tingling, real-time account of what they did next, which was to save the man’s life.

Flip on any channel and the mainstream media members are pulling people out of homes or connecting missing loved ones via the satellite phones that many are carrying. A CNN crew rescued an elderly couple, putting down their equipment at one point.

See Also: How Will Harvey Impact Oil And Gasoline Prices?

Mr. President? Apologize

One gripping moment after another prompted The Hill to demand an apology from President Donald Trump for continually saying journalists are "really dishonest people, and they're bad people." Most reporters, he’s said, "don't like our country."

The Houston Chronicle staff was working around the clock and likely still is, catching flash naps when the exhaustion overruns the adrenaline. Even the “failing New York Times,” as Trump refers to the paper, dropped its paywall of flood coverage so that readers could get vital information.

"The overwhelming majority of journalists devote their lives to accurately informing the public," wrote The Hill’s Brian Klaas in an opinion piece. "They are the unsung heroes of democracy. An emergency like Hurricane Harvey makes that obvious."

For Brandi Smith, the video of her live report went absolutely viral. It never aired until after the fact, because her station went out of service. It had been flooded and evacuated by the rising waters.

That didn't stop her reporting, taking to social media with updates. Just look at her feed on Twitter Inc TWTR, the president’s favorite method of doing his own style of reporting.