Has it always been common for cable news shows, interested in keeping a well-known story fresh, to interview photographers about photos they had shot?

I don't recall seeing that, though I know it's good to interview reporters about a closely watched trial. The beat reporter is often a good one to provide deep facts when you want to do an hour on a story and not just a five-minute update.

This morning, I heard two simultaneous interviews with photographers during cable tv news coverage of the Moore, Oklahoma, tornadoes and school rescue/deaths as I drove to work. I had earlier seen the front pages showcased on the news, perhaps the "Today Show," and the follow ups inquired from the photographers first-person accounts.

It makes sense as newspaper photographers are there and can provide witness accounts, both as a human and as a professional journalist. It is interesting stuff, providing a factual and human element to a story that so often is fueled by speculation as cable news broadcasters rarely get time for lengthy eye witness accounts. Good job in both cases.