Journalism: Easier than actually helping

[trinityvixen]

One thing that's bugging me about the coverage of the post-earthquake conditions in Haiti is the fact that the reporters can manage all these outrageous comforts and luxuries immediately to do their reporting (and, presumably, keep them going for a week of reporting). One reporter took a helicopter tour of the devastated Port-au-Prince. Couldn't that helicopter have been used for something more constructive? I hope to hell it was radioing in constantly about things it saw for humanitarian workers to get there.

But Christ light is a luxury in Haiti right now, and all these damn reporters are standing in pools of it. Talk to us via radio. We don't need to see your faces. Give that light--light that could be used to help locate people in the dark who might otherwise die waiting--away.

And don't even get me started on Olbermann. I'm REALLY disgusted in his coverage last night. He kept trying to push at this question of whether people were going to be desperate enough to start being dangerous. Over and over and over. This wasn't the idiocy of sending Al Roker to be fat and happy while people were dying. This was fucking racist and it was constant. Will people start rushing the tarmac where supplies are being delivered? Has there been violence? What's going on? Are they rioting yet? Oh my God. I hope to Christ that he's being held at gunpoint to keep bringing that up because otherwise? I lose a lot of respect for him.

Bear in mind, someone did say there'd been reports of gunfire, but this person also said there was no context for it--for all anyone knew, there could have been a collapse that set off guns somewhere. What's important to note about this persistence in picking at this line of thought is that no one gave it any context. The mention of gunfire was the only thing to preface the question of whether people were near to rioting in desperation. But it was summarily dismissed and no further mention of anything like people going feral, no talk of any recent political unrest that would suggest people were on a hair trigger, no murders or theft or anything of the kind mentioned. Even if those things happened, if you don't say that they happened and just keep asking all panicky "ARE THE BROWN PEOPLE REVOLTING YET?" it looks goddamned RACIST, you follow?

Comments

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Dude, the PATH just sent me an email saying they support relief efforts in Haiti with links to Port Authority approved charities. The PATH.

I will say one thing about the vulture culture of the news media--by focusing so much attention on something like this, they do mobilize a lot of people to donate money or otherwise help the relief effort. One hopes that in the end it all balances out.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Jesus, I hope so. I recognize that displaying the disaster draws sympathy and attention to it, which is good. But do we really need fourteen billion reporters, camera persons, producers, etc. adding to the draw on the already limited resources there? If there's going to be any rioting, that should be why: the dicks bring their cameras but not a whole lot else? Shoot 'em. Maybe next time they'll bring a CB radio and shit-ton of WATER.

(Okay, I'm being harsh, but I was really appalled by all this.)