A nightmare: My favorite news moment of the week was when the national media got hold of a 911 call from a Massachusetts family “in extreme danger.”  Using words like “harrowing” and “frightening,” anchors reported this story without making fun; at least on camera.

The husband and wife and their baby were lost, hopelessly lost, and desperate and fearing for their lives… in a corn maze outside Salem.

Here’s the conversation:

Woman (her voice shaking): “Hi, I just called. I’m still stuck at Connors Farms. I don’t see anybody. I am really scared. It’s really dark and we’ve got a 3-week-old baby with us.”

Dispatcher: “Just relax. Calm down. Your husband is with you right?”

Woman: “Yes, but my baby?”

Dispatcher: “OK. I understand and the police officer is on the way.”

Woman: “We thought this would be fun. Instead it’s a nightmare. I don’t know what made us do this. It was daytime when we came in. And I never take my daughter out. This is the first time. Never again.”

When the family was found, they were about 25 feet from the nearest street. Thank goodness for cell phones.

Photo by