Opinion of Media Coverage in Haiti

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Is that just me or is that just indecent?

I mean, all these long close-up of people blocked in rubble, seriously wounded, loudly crying, the fact to jump on a guy that comes out from rubble and to hammer him of questions about what he lived.

The photos too, these large photos on papers of people in blood.

What is that?

I no more watch the beginning of the news since the beginning of the catastrophe in Haiti, I can't stand that stuffs, but I've seen a very few, and I could have seen examples of all of this in a small program in France that sums what happened on TV (Zapping for French), seen that papers published photos liked that too.

What's the point of all of that? Is that useful? Just knowing about the extent of the catastrophe and about the situation in Haiti before has been enough to disturb me. Seeing rubble too. What does that carry on but seeing blood? Maybe a bit of decency would be welcome, would someone here liked to be filmed while in pain? Would you like to see journalists filming the pain that relatives of yours are living?

Is that just useful?

[© tweed]

I find the fixation on the death toll to be 'indecent', but it is probably more a reflection of what people want to know.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I find the fixation on the death toll to be 'indecent', but it is probably more a reflection of what people want to know.

I tend to agree.

I f'ckin hate though the Sentimentality and the images juxtaposted on top of it. Won't someone think of the children?

Otherwise why do people stop to give interviews with foreign journalists while they are supposed to be searching for their dead son or whatnot under tons of rubble? If I was them, I would tell the meeja to go and get f'cked.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Lets face it, the American so-called 'mainstream media' (liberal) is stupid and superficial.

This is a case of, "if it bleeds, it leads."

Notice the appalling lack of coverage of Iran.

[JSojourner]

I find the fixation on the death toll to be 'indecent', but it is probably more a reflection of what people want to know.

Almost as indecent as the commonly used line when there's a civilian air disaster...

"No Americans were on board".

[Hash]

Awful, stupid and useless populist sensationalism as always.

And Canadian news... dear Lord. "Apart from, you know, thousands upon thousands of Haitian dead, THERE ARE FIVE DEAD CANADIANS!!!1111 CALL THE FAMILIES AND MAKE THEM CRY!!!11"

[Psychic Octopus]

Non-stop and unprecise.

[J. J.]

The estimates are 50,000 to 200,000 dead.

[patrick1]

Yes, the media is very McNameran in its focus on body counts. I guess it is a way to justify their coverage of brown people.   What was the supposed Fleet street rule on what was news- one thousand wogs, fifty frogs, and one Briton.

[Joe Republic]

Lets face it, the American so-called 'mainstream media' (liberal) is stupid and superficial.

Your constant presumption that the liberal half of the mainstream media is the only appalling part is a consistent source of amusement.

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[CARLHAYDEN]

Lets face it, the American so-called 'mainstream media' (liberal) is stupid and superficial.

Your constant presumption that the liberal half of the mainstream media is the only appalling part is a consistent source of amusement.

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You really need to work on your math.  "Half"!!!  You've got to be kidding!

Also, most of the electronic media coverage is both superficial and repetitive (i.e. pretty worthless).

[Lunar]

maybe worth a glance if you still care about cable news (I don't that much)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-et-onthemedia15-2010jan15,0,7766503,print.column

[Antonio the Sixth]

Is that just useful?

Yes, it's useful to make us remember how other people around the world live. Also, there is a very interesting article in Marianne this week, giving an historical perpective to Haiti's tragic fate (and reminding our country's responsibilities in that).

[Silent Hunter]

If this happened in Britain, we wouldn't be seeing so many corpses on the news.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

If this happened in Britain, we wouldn't be seeing so many corpses on the news.

That's a part of my point when I asked if people here would like to be filmed while suffering in blood or while loudly crying a death person, which is what our media throw in our face, and considering what can do the French media and that they seem to be low compared to the US ones on that kind of stuffs (at least until now, seems they take more and more lessons from the 'model'), I just don't want to imagine what can happen on US news, I didn't dare to watch once CNN world for example.

In short I meant that I think we can show the pain of people to make us be aware of it without being so trash/indecent, and I was asking about what this indecency actually meant.

Is that just useful?

Yes, it's useful to make us remember how other people around the world live. Also, there is a very interesting article in Marianne this week, giving an historical perpective to Haiti's tragic fate (and reminding our country's responsibilities in that).

Well, Antonio, concerning your 1st sentence, this kind of media coverage don't make us remember how other people live around the world, they throw blood and cries in our faces, and, beyond the question of the decency of this for people touched by this, I wonder whether this is the best way to make us aware of something, at best people throw 20€ in an envelop and period, and once the real problems begin, those that consist in building something on the long term in order to avoid societies screwed the way Haiti were, then in order to avoid such an extent when a catastrophe like this happen, who the f**k cares? Here, they don't show us how they live, they show us how they suffer, and nothing further, I think that's not quite the same thing.

About your 2nd sentences, outside of the fact that Marianne is more and more caricaturing itself in a kind of trash intellectual hacking thing, I don't deny what France did there, but:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=108971.msg2317649#msg2317649

[Antonio the Sixth]

Is that just useful?

Yes, it's useful to make us remember how other people around the world live. Also, there is a very interesting article in Marianne this week, giving an historical perpective to Haiti's tragic fate (and reminding our country's responsibilities in that).

Well, Antonio, concerning your 1st sentence, this kind of media coverage don't make us remember how other people live around the world, they throw blood and cries in our faces, and, beyond the question of the decency of this for people touched by this, I wonder whether this is the best way to make us aware of something, at best people throw 20€ in an envelop and period, and once the real problems begin, those that consist in building something on the long term in order to avoid societies screwed the way Haiti were, then in order to avoid such an extent when a catastrophe like this happen, who the f**k cares? Here, they don't show us how they live, they show us how they suffer, and nothing further, I think that's not quite the same thing.

About your 2nd sentences, outside of the fact that Marianne is more and more caricaturing itself in a kind of trash intellectual hacking thing, I don't deny what France did there, but:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=108971.msg2317649#msg2317649

I understand your point but still, I consider the media coverage proportional to the importance of the event. It's indeed regrettable that media seem to care about these sorts of countries only in those cases, but it's another issue.
As for Marianne, I'm not always a fan either, but they have also made several very good points and can't be reduced to a bunch of populist hacks (hackery, like moderate heroism, is a quite ambiguous term).

[Tetro Kornbluth]

A blog that Al linked to on the "Racist Fascist Nutjobs Rod Little" thread but this much better than I can. I have quoted in full without images (because... lazy) so I suggest you click the linky:

http://enemiesofreason.blogspot.com/2010/01/dispatches-from-bongobongoland.html

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[Antonio the Sixth]

And those people are allowed to express themselves...

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Horrible (normal)

[GMantis]

As usual, ie horrible.

Awful, stupid and useless populist sensationalism as always.

And Canadian news... dear Lord. "Apart from, you know, thousands upon thousands of Haitian dead, THERE ARE FIVE DEAD CANADIANS!!!1111 CALL THE FAMILIES AND MAKE THEM CRY!!!11"

I find the fixation on the death toll to be 'indecent', but it is probably more a reflection of what people want to know.

Almost as indecent as the commonly used line when there's a civilian air disaster...

"No Americans were on board".

I wouldn't be so bitter, it's pretty much like that in all countries. Not surprising, when one considers that the vast majority of people have more empathy with the suffering of their countrymen than that of foreigners. Not pleasant, but true.

[Antonio the Sixth]

As usual, ie horrible.

Awful, stupid and useless populist sensationalism as always.

And Canadian news... dear Lord. "Apart from, you know, thousands upon thousands of Haitian dead, THERE ARE FIVE DEAD CANADIANS!!!1111 CALL THE FAMILIES AND MAKE THEM CRY!!!11"

I find the fixation on the death toll to be 'indecent', but it is probably more a reflection of what people want to know.

Almost as indecent as the commonly used line when there's a civilian air disaster...

"No Americans were on board".

I wouldn't be so bitter, it's pretty much like that in all countries. Not surprising, when one considers that the vast majority of people have more empathy with the suffering of their countrymen than that of foreigners. Not pleasant, but true.

Really not, indeed.

[big bad fab]

It's weird to see that we are said there is nothing working any longer in Haïti, no food, no power, no roof,
and, still, so MANY medias there, with well-nourished, well-shaved, well-hairbrushed, cleanly clothed "reporters".... with very good satellites links...

How many planes have they loaded to put the "reporters" and all the equipement they need in ?

And the international aid doesn't come fast enough ?!?

In French medias, there is a word that I can't bear any longer: "polémique"... (controversy)
Again and again and again, everything should be submitted to a "polémique"...

Let the NGOs work, stop bother Haïtians, stop make them feel that the international aid is slow, stop demanding quick aid that will disrupt even more local markets, local producers, and feed all the gangs...

The medias don't know anything else than fanning the flames.

[memphis]

I wish they'd mention how screwed Haiti already was before the quake. Really reminds me of Katrina and New Orleans.