Azadar Hussain, a news reporter for Pakistani channel GTV News, shot to worldwide fame last week after footage of his daring reporting of local floods went viral online.

In a commendable attempt to show viewers what the people of Pakistan’s Kot Chatta region had to put up with following devastating floods, Azadar Hussain decided to conduct his on-location reporting submerged in floodwater to the point where only his head and the hand holding the microphone were visible. Hussain’s head is seen bobbing above the water as he clutches onto the microphone, but manages to remain calm and composed, offering a very clear and accurate depiction of the situation.

“Local residents told us that district authorities have not taken any action and the rain water is now moving towards residential localities and crops have been submerged,” the submerged reporter can be heard saying. “Local residents have protested and appealed to the Chief Minister of Punjab and Prime Minister Imran Khan that speedy action should be taken here so that we are saved from the ravages of the flood.”

Azadar Hussain’s epic segment was shared on social media and quickly went viral, attracting worldwide attention. But while some praised the reporter’s efforts to depict the situation as clearly as he could, others questioned his sanity, claiming that his in-depth reporting could have easily killed him as the strong currents had already claimed human lives in the area.

 

“Assuming that he isn’t sitting, this is downright dangerous and I doubt it very much that he gets life insurance from his employer,” one Twitter user wrote. “It tells us a lot about the way media orgs treat their staff, especially reporters who work in remote areas.”

Dangerous or not, it put this brave reporter in the internet spotlight this week, with many applauding him for raising the bar for “in depth coverage” to “infinity and beyond”.