Am I The Only One Sick Of The Excessive Tsunami Coverage?

1/4/2005

[Williams]

Am I the only one sick of the tsunami coverage? Maybe it's the obvious fact the media has no other big story it wants to cover. Maybe the idiotic anti-Bush angle they have developed. But I think it's just the plain old fact the disaster coverage has reached the point where it is out of proportion to the disaster itself.

Of course the tsunami was a terrible event and there needs to be a major relief effort. But I started getting annoyed when they called it the worst natural disaster in history. I knew I'd lived during 200 or 300,000 deaths at a time caused by cyclones in Pakistan/Bangladesh/India in the 70's.

The disaster is an important one but it's spread out over many countries. And I am highly suspicious that many of these corrupt governments began upping the casualty figures, knowing it would mean more share of the aid pie. Not that I want to become a tsunami denier, but it just seems like another example of the media's chicken little approach to the World.

Conservative commentators have noted that tragedies like Darfur and Rwanda killed more people but didn't get the coverage. But ecven without the political overtones, the coverage of this thing is disturbingly reminiscent of Scot Peterson/Princess Diana/ etal.

I think it reached it's height with Diane Sawyer yelling at Colin Powell this morning and insisting that Japan is giving more, yada yada yada. The media cares about no one and we all know they will let certain groups be slaughtered while they collectively look the other way.

[Swede Girl]

I have mixed feelings. Yes, it is a tragedy....a terribly sad tragedy. But, there have been other disasters in recent memory, too. I just don't remember such nonstop coverage.

Also, Saddam Hussein killed just as many people over the years and I haven't heard much coverage and crying about that....especially since Dubya has gone in to try to clean up that country. If we had not gone in, the killings and tortures would be continuing today. Would CNN have nonstop programming and video about that? No.

I think the press picks and chooses what they what to stress. I have chosen to turn them off when it is overkill such as Scott Peterson, OJ, Michael Jackson, etc. Unfortunately, enough people tune in to give these shows ratings, so that is the reason they run this stuff. I think the tsunami is fitting into that category now, too. Ratings.

[JeffAtlanta]

How does something like this get blown out of proportion?

Read the thread - many other posters have spelled it out.

[pbear8]

I wish that someone would have the guts to say, "Hey, let's all take a step back and assess the situation". There is so much aid pouring in right now will never get to those who really need it. Perhaps the necessary dollar amount has been reached and it just needs to be administered correctly at this point. I fear in this moment of over-emotional 'thinking' much will be lost and very little gained.

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

The coverage is a fraction of that afforded to 9/11. 9/11 was definitely an extremely newsworthy story, yet only a tiny fraction the number of people died.

---

Yes, and it seems likley that once the "missing" list of US citizens in the region has been revised into the final "missing and most probably dead" list, the fatality count for US citizens will exceed the 9/11 casualties, perhaps by several thousand.

The other factor "of continuing interest" is the potential for a repeat of this experience in both the Pacific and Atlantic coastal areas, so that (in addition to better monitoring everywhere) consideration of how large coastal populations could be safely relocated in the few hours warning available should probably get a closer look than its gotten so far.

Given the massive traffic jams associated with the recent hurricane warnings covering relatively small areas (mostly in FL), and the greater lead times for acting on warnings, some additional preparation would be prudent, in order to cope with the much shorter lead times available after a tsunami event gets underway. However, once the publicity on the Sumatra event dies down, public pressure to press forward with such preparations is likely to drop off too.

[pbear8]

I read a "by nation" count today which said 15 Americans were unaccounted for. That's probably accurate, otherwise we'd be hearing "we lost as many as 9-11" all over the airwaves.

[Howlin]

Nope; that's not a category; that's a TOPIC.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1213304/posts

[F16Fighter]

Yep, I'm sick of it...

Btw, good point:

"Conservative commentators have noted that tragedies like Darfur and Rwanda killed more people but didn't get the coverage. But ecven without the political overtones, the coverage of this thing is disturbingly reminiscent of Scot Peterson/Princess Diana/ etal."

[cyborg]

bump!

[Strategerist]

Actually the "missing" counts for the US include every single inquiry that someone calls in, even if it's for the same person, or if its for a country totally unaffected by the tsunami.

So of those thousands of missing, in many cases it may be a dozen inquiries about ONE person, or include hundreds of inquiries about Americans in China, Taiwan, etc.

I dobut the actual number of American killed gets out of the hundreds.

[F16Fighter]

"If you conzume enough Heineys, Sven, you can barely zmell zee rotting garcasses."

Lol

[neutrino]

Am I the only one sick of the tsunami coverage?

Nope, you're not the only one. I bought a slice of pizza today, and the clerk wanted to know if I cared to add a dollar for the tsunami aid fund. I quickly assured him that I had no interest in contributing.

[techcor]

Think of it as the lull before the Robert Blake, Robert Blake, Robert Blake.........

[cyborg]

bump!

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

I never get sick of pictures like this. The USA doing what we do best, saving lives.

A Chief Petty Officer assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) smiles as he and Indonesian armed forces transfer supplies to an awaiting U.S. Navy (news - web sites) helicopter at Aceh, Sumatra in Indonesia, on January 3, 2005. Hungry and filthy, thousands of Indonesians lined up for water on Tuesday as aid deliveries to tsunami-ravaged Aceh province hit new snags and cases of disease and infection among survivors emerged. In total, more than 94,000 people were killed by the tsunami in Aceh -- a province of about four million at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, making up two thirds of the total known toll from the Indian Ocean disaster of about 145,000. Picture taken January 3, 2005.

[TexasCajun]

I'm sick of the same "exclusive" video over and over on every channel!

I'm sick of the stories and interviews with that female model!

I'm sick of all disaster coverage at the exclusion other ongoing global disasters!

[Conspiracy Guy]

I agree 100%

[sonserae]

This may be the largest human catastrophe in your entire lifetime. Over 150,000 people are dead and over 5 million homeless. This tragedy happened only a little over a week ago.
If you were living there right now, you'd BE IN IT not just hearing about it. Turn off the TV and write a check for a charity if you are sick of hearing about it. Stop your whining and be grateful you are safe.

[happygrl]

The China quake is not the best example; Communist China was still closed off to the world and reports were slow in getting out. Reporters were not allowed in. There were no all-news networks.

A better example cited already was the cyclones in Bangladesh (East Pakistan at that time) in 1970, and the resulting war beween India and Pakistan. It was extensively covered by three national networks. It was the worst stuff I had seen on TV as a young girl. They actually showed a scene where Pakistani men held the son of a Bangladeshi and bayonetted him in the stomach.

We're too sensitive to show reality like that now/sarc....

[johnb838]

Michael Jackson trial (doesn't start till Jan 31).

Guess we can forget about getting coverage of the Iraqi elections.