Today I'd like to comment on the media's role in advocating and promoting stormchasers.  It's become an important subject since the deaths recently of veteran storm chaser Tim Samora and two others in Oklahoma.  Granted,  USA Today reported in 3 June 2013 report that Samora was a veteran chaser primarily interested in learning about deadly tornados.  In Samora's view it was important to get close and he did so successfully for many years.  Yet this may not be the case with many storm chasers.  The majority may well be amateurs with one thing in mind--profit.

Profit from stormchasing can be maximized due to social media and this is not considered a compliment.  I recently moved from Wichita, KS, where tornadoes are often a threat.  Local TV stations like KSN and KWCH use their websites to profit from such storms.  Who do they depend on?  Stormchasers.  In fact, local media through use of their websites, actually advertise and train locals to capture deadly storms and their aftermath on digital cameras, cell phones, and the like.  People are credited for the intriguing photos and many profit from the practice.

So the question is simple:  Does the need to populate TV station websites and newscasts with captivating photos put amateur storm chasers at risk?  It likely does.  If a veteran stormchaser is killed, what does it say about the over-zealous amateur who wants that award-winning photo regardless of the risk?  Undoubtedly, it a risky practice to both advocate and conduct.