Journalists don't cover stories about tragedies because of a misguided whim, or some devious desire to chase ambulances.

We cover them because that's our job. And it's part of the job because the public has an insatiable desire to know what's going on.

It's a good desire, too; it's in the public interest for people to know what's happening.

The more they know, the better they're able to make informed decisions in everyday life.

A horrible tragedy happened in Tathra on Tuesday night, claiming the lives of two young kids and their dad. Understandably, the local community is in mourning, and the wider community's in shock.

Many wanted to know how it happened and why it happened, who the victims were and what they looked like.

Millions would have turned on their TVs, switched on their radios or opened newspapers.

They learned about a young family and the heroic, but ultimately unsucessful, attempts to rescue them.

Maybe they learned about an appeal to raise money for the grieving widow. And possibly, they looked at the pictures of those two little boys and wept.

The pictures and the stories were pieced together by journalists: asking questions and knocking on doors. Cameramen, photographers and road crews would all have helped put the stories together.

And yes, someone probably knocked on the door of the family, they were probably told to leave, and they probably did.

Sometimes victims' families want to talk. Sometimes they want the world to know how much their loved ones meant to them, how special they were. Sometimes they want similar tragedies to be avoided in the future. Sometimes they just need someone to talk too.

Often they don't. The family may want to be left in peace; they may resent the intrusion in their life.

The only way to find out is if someone asks. It's a fine line that many journalists walk every week, and none that I know of enjoys.

After a day of reporting the tragedy, three television reporters were apparently assaulted last night. My colleague Sarah Cumming was verbally abused. Dan Sutton from Ten and Denham Hitchcock from Nine were allegedly physically attacked.

Sarah's a diminutive woman, hardly deserving of threats from an intimidating group of men. Denham and Dan are nice guys too, and far from threatening. They didn't deserve to be hit.

None of them was working: they were in a pub having a bite to eat and a drink. I've heard it suggested journalists should have stayed away from the pub. This is Australia, that sort of talk shouldn't hold sway in this country.

Neither should suggestions that they had it coming.

There are a few professions where violence and agression are the norm, boxing and rugby league come to mind, but collecting and reporting on the facts, however tragic, aren't.

This attack wasn't justified, and it feels like just plain thuggery.

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