Right, exactly. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so we need to make sure that wheel squeaks are representative of society's ills. When something bad happens to non-journalists, journalists need to squeak just as loud as if it were happening to themselves. Providing the same treatment to the media as everyone else is one way to encourage it.
I agree with your point, I just think it's inherent people will care more about other people they're regularly in contact with. Reporters' friends are other reporters by and large, just like my friends are largely other tech folks.