CNN's Campbell Brown fights back tears at news that rescued Haitian girl has died

The grim stories of loss coming out of Haiti are taking a toll on the journalists reporting the mounting sorrows. Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan broke down Thursday as he talked about a woman who lost all five of her children. Tonight, CNN anchor Campbell Brown was overcome by the news that a girl whose rescue was covered by the network had died.

The story began Thursday, when CNN correspondent Ivan Watson reported on the Herculean efforts to save an 11-year-old girl pinned under the rubble in Port-au-Prince. (See his report above.) His camera captured the anguished look in her eyes as she lay under piles of concrete, moaning as rescuers tried to free her from a large piece of metal pinning her leg down. Ultimately, she was freed after rescuers managed to find a generator to power an electric saw and cut her out.

Tonight, Watson told Campbell Brown the sad coda to the story: that while the girl made it to a first aid station, doctors there didn''t have the necessary equipment to treat her wounds. Her family was unable to get her to a hospital in time and she died.

"It's pretty heartbreaking," he said, repeating the child's last words in French: "Mother, don't let me die."

As Watson concluded, Brown visibly struggled to contain her emotions. "Ah, OK," she said, fighting back tears. "Many, many hearts breaking for this little girl, Ivan."

-- Matea Gold

Comments

[Lisa Materna]

CNN is doing the best job of covering the Haitie tragedy and bringing accountability to the lack of organization that all the world is once again witnessing. I am just so thankful for the other countries that truely were the first responders. They need to be celebrated more on air.

[asham m. elam]

i saw the report when campbell fought back the tears while on the air, and it was ok campbell to show your human side,nothing wrong with that at all, more should show it, i am a funeral director and i find myself getting a little involved, but we are human,i am always getting the "don't get involved with people's feeling"but my god what is wrong with that?we are human's with feelings.i get a little sad and this thing in haiti gets my eyes full of tears also.

[Jedda 357nsg]

It is so very sad as to why these Haitians have had to suffer like this. They have never had much freedom to live a propper life, their government have ripped the heart out of these people, now mother nature has done the same. These stories and images on tv are heartbreaking.

[hilts]

Campbell Brown's reaction was extremely unprofessional and CNN owes its audience an apology for her inexcusable lack of composure. Campbell needs to toughen up if she wants to maintain her credibility.

[patrick]

hilts...you are an idiot...

[patrick]

hilts...you are an idiot...you owe the haitian people an apology for being a heartless fool.