Let's flip the scenario. Imagine two kids are snatched from a bus stop in Australia, in a daring daylight raid. Not by government welfare workers – but a private, foreign "child recovery agency". Turns out that agency has been involved in other bungled abductions, for which its employees have been jailed. Worse, this debacle may have been funded by a TV network, to the tune of $115,000. Tara Brown and the 60 Minutes crew were detained in Lebanon. Credit:Channel Nine The outcome of the actual, real life scenario sees high-profile 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown and three colleagues in a Beirut jail. They're joined by a distraught Australian woman, Sally Faulkner, whom they were supposed to help. Faulkner's two young children, Lahela and Noah, are back with their father, Ali Elamine. He is the man she alleges took them to Lebanon for a holiday last year – and never returned. Ms Faulkner's anguish is understandable. As is her desire to drum up media attention. But at what cost? That's not something a desperate, tormented mother can coolly assess. A TV program can.

It's not enough to ask, "Is this interesting to the public?", or even, "Is this in the public interest?". When your story concerns an international custody dispute – affecting the lives of young children – you must consider: "Could our involvement make a bad situation worse?" Sally Faulkner travelled to Lebanon to recover her two children, Lahala and Noah, from their father. Credit:Facebook If it emerges that no money changed hands, 60 Minutes may argue it was merely documenting an ugly situation. If that's true – and in light of the political and diplomatic sensitivities – the producers should confirm it. Even so, that doesn't (necessarily) get them off the hook. Did their filming requirements, in any way, contribute to this disaster? If 60 Minutes paid Ms Faulkner, and not the child recovery agency directly, they may try to wash their hands. After all, she can spend her money how she pleases. Whether that flies with the Lebanese authorities remains to be seen. But if those authorities prove the program bankrolled this mess, they're in trouble. Especially if they confirm the agency is the same one linked to previous botched attempts. Did 60 Minutes do a background check before paying them? And just how responsible is it to fund a child snatch on a street in Beirut, of all places?

At this point, we're still in the dark on many matters. We have no idea of the custody arrangements. The level of 60 Minutes' involvement remains unclear. Getting Ms Faulkner and the crew released from jail is the priority. More than anything, Ms Faulkner wanted to be re-united with her children. A television program wanted a good story. If its actions contributed to these kids being denied their mother even longer, that's the real problem.