One video version of the NPR radio show This American Life captured the story of a prize-winning photojournalist. At one point he soberly confessed that many photojournalists remain spectators as they observe and record the misfortunes of others. Then he told the interviewer a disturbing story about an incident in which he continued snapping pictures as a woman eventually drowned.

He says, "I was sent out on an assignment from when I was working for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune. They wanted pictures [of a coastal storm], so I went out to nearby Plum Island. [I] walked out on the beach, and there was this one figure standing by the ocean looking out."

The video then scans to a photo that shows a lone woman standing on the shore's edge with waves crashing in front of her. He continues, "She was drinking a beer …. A split second after this picture was taken, a wave came in, hit the embankment below her feet, knocked the sand out, and she went sliding into the water."

The video scans to a second photo that shows the woman lying in the shallow water after the wave had retreated.

Then he says, "I was probably at least 50 feet away from her, shooting with a telephoto lens. She was in the water either in shock or drunk or whatever. I thought about, okay, am I going to make a rescue? I already got the shot I need."

The video turns to a third photo that shows two men approaching the woman, who has her hand outstretched.

"I turned around, and within 100 feet of me there was a lifeguard. So I continued to photograph the sequence. There was someone who was with the lifeguard who got there first. He rushed to her. [He] was ready to reach out and grab her and pull her to safety. But at the last second something stopped him."

The next photo pictures the two men backing off as a large wave prepares to crash on top of the helpless woman.

The photojournalist finishes the story: "The wave looked to me like it was 20 feet high. Within seconds after this photograph was taken, she was covered by the wave. I realized that she was gone. The sequence of pictures received quite a bit of attention, and a lot of criticism came into the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune about their photographer, who watched someone drown in the ocean while he just continued to take pictures."

Later in the interview he admits that he could have made a difference, but instead he chose to observe and take pictures. He now only takes "easy and fun" pictures because they are less of a burden.