'There's a strict dividing line between the duty of pilot and cameraman on board a news chopper - the cameraman knows that the pilot has full authority over air safety, and doesn't tell the pilot what to do: he just takes whatever pictures he can from the vantage point available'
I'm sorry my chemical friend but it's a little naive to think that the pilot is free to disregard the needs of the cameraman in the interest of 'air safety', as you put it. Here in Phoenix, in many instances, the pilot
is the reporter whose job it is, among other things, to get good footage.
Leaving dedicated talent (the term is used loosely) on the ground and elevating the pilot to the role of on-air personality has blurred the lines between what is good for the aircraft and what is good for the station. Pilots don goofy hats; talk into the camera; even take their dog onboard (Molly the Flying Dog, I kid you not). You have to ask yourself: who's flying the aircraft?
No disrespect intended to anyone involved.