(Image source: NY Daily News)

BY BRICE SANDER

A frantic, 10-minute 911 recording reveals parts of what went down Monday just before medical crews rushed actress Demi Moore to the hospital. The City of Los Angeles released a redacted version of the call, sparking a media firestorm. CBS’ Lee Cowan gives insight into why the media are publishing the tape.

LEE COWAN: “The scene sounds a lot more dire than her publicist led on. After Demi had been rushed to the hospital Monday night, a statement read that she would be seeking professional help for exhaustion and over-all health.”

Some reports claimed Moore inhaled whip-its -- nitrous oxide inhalants -- before she collapsed. But there’s no mention of those on the tape, just a substance “similar to marijuana.” TMZ says the call leaves more questions than answers.

HARVEY LEVIN: “They were not specific about anything illegal or—when they talked about just smoking. That’s a general statement. When you get into- when you get into a specific substance, whatever the substance is, that’s what they cut out.”

Media have made the recording one of the weekend’s top stories, but Entertainment Weekly examines if releasing it was right.

“[Legal expert] Tony Stuart …believes Moore should have a right to privacy because of the nature of that 911 call. ‘It seems to me that a call for medical assistance ought to be private, period’ … But unless the public’s interest in that type of private information wanes considerably, the celebrities themselves should expect to see their 911 calls continue to [be released] to the media.”

911 calls in Los Angeles are public information. Anyone can obtain them, and celebrity emergency calls have been released before. Still, a writer for CinemaBlend thinks this one crosses the line.

“I listened to the tape this morning, but admittedly, I felt a little squeamish doing so. Sensitive pieces of information like the star’s address may have been bleeped, but I was still listening to a frantic situation that potentially could have been life or death."