It was something that no one listening to BBC Radio 4's Today programme expected: the moment that John Simpson's voice started to break with emotion. "Looking around at those kids," he told his colleague, "it was quite difficult - I'm sorry - I've seen a lot of bad things in my time, but this was... it hasn't yet happened, yet you know it's just round the corner, and they know it... "

Simpson was reporting from BamiyanThe area was famous for three colossal statues of Buddha, more than 1,500 years old, which were destroyed by the Taliban., telling the story of a family he had met. Fatima, a widow, was living in a cave with her seven children.

The family used to receive food supplies from aid agencies. Fatema also earned money by weeding a farmer's land. Since the Taliban took control of the country, much of the aid has come to a halt. And a drought means the farmer can no longer offer work.

"I'm frightened," Fatema told Simpson. "I've got nothing to give the children. Soon I'll have to go out and beg."

Simpson has worked for the BBC for over 50 years. He was on the scene during the Tiananmen Square massacre; he was injured by a bomb during the Iraq war.

He was hunted by government forces while reporting from ZimbabweFormerly known as Rhodesia, it took its current name in 1980.. He was also one of the first journalists into Afghanistan after the US-led invasion.

His awards include the CBECommander of the British Empire., and an International EmmyThe Emmy Awards are the equivalent of the Oscars for TV programmes.. To many he is the voice of the BBC - a man who can be relied upon to assess the grimmest disasters with impartiality. So to hear him upset was extraordinary.

The worst, he stressed, had not happened yet. "The urgency," he said, "is to do something now, not to wait until the skeletons are in the streets."

Many of Afghanistan's more prosperous have fled, so they are not on hand to help. The coming winter is expected to be harsh. "I don't know how I'll get through it if I can't make bread," one old man told Simpson.

The Taliban are so worried that they are prepared to co-operate with Western aid agencies they normally want nothing to do with. The World Food ProgrammeRun by the United Nations, the organisation was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. is providing flour, but far more will be needed. According to its executive director David Beasley: "95% of the people don't have enough food, and now we're looking at 23 million people marching towards starvation."

Beasley asked the world's rich to imagine their children in such a situation. With $400trn worth of wealth in the world, "Shame on us [if] we let any child die from hunger... I don't care where that child is."

"The snow is beginning to settle on the nearby mountain-tops," Simpson wrote on the BBC website. "Winter will very soon be here, and huge numbers of people like Fatema and her family will be on the very brink of catastrophe."

Yes. Particularly in a situation like this, where the whole world bears responsibility. Reporters are humans like the rest of us: there is no reason they should not show emotion.  

No. Reporters are professionals. Reporting things in a trustworthy manner requires strict detachment: the best thing Simpson can do to help the Afghans is to keep his feelings in check.