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.

[Barlowmaker]

This news item says 4000 missing person reports are being studied, but it's obvious the numbers are muddled and it may be reports, not individuals, that I heard on the radio today. I've read that the confirmed death toll of Americans is 16 or so.

[Barlowmaker]

I quickly assured him that I had no interest in contributing.

Wow. What a man of principle.

[pbear8]

Let's hope it doesn't go any higher.

[i_dont_chat]

Putting in my 2 cents. I am grateful for the coverage. I try to keep up. If I see an article on FreeRepublic which I haven't seen before, I take a look and try to grasp what is happened on the other side of the planet.

I don't watch TV for the simple reason, that since I read FR, I am about 2 days ahead of what is presented on TV.

For instance, we here in FR were talking about Banda Aceh, and the total devastation, days before the name of that city was ever uttered by the TV news.

I am using this time of news from Indonesia to learn more about that part of the world, getting an education that I won't get otherwise.

For example, after the tsunami, I read that Banda Aceh meant "Mecca's front verandah", or "Mecca's front porch." That phrase keeps coming back to me, in a spirital sense. That's how my Creator God talks to me sometimes. I'll feel an interest in a topic; I'll do a little research; and somehow I gain something which wasn't there before.

So, no, I'm not getting tired of the tsunami coverage.

[airborne]

Not any more. I changed the channel.

[thegreatbeast]

Weren't we in a war at some time? Whaat happened to that? Are American Armed Forces still in harm's way?

[PhilDragoo]

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

Excellent pictures of USA saving lives.

And I remember how the media gave the same thorough coverage of Clinton's callous disregard for the million Rwandans massacred with machetes.

Oh--that's right--it didn't.

God Bless what our President and military are doing with our donations now.

[proudpapa]

I'm still waiting for ABCCNNBCBS to run a segment showing each and every face of those who died in the tsunami.

The same way they did our soldiers who were lost in Iraq.

[nyg4168]

You do have every right to complain about the constant coverage of suffering and death in Asia. Because, of course, world events should be coordinated to entertain you, and this time they just aren't cutting it, are they? Until things get better, I suggest you go outside and take a walk. Play a game with your kid or your mother. Or (gasp) read a book. We'll ping you when a new tragedy occurs that you might find enjoyable to watch.

[TexasCajun]

Turn off the TV and write a check for a charity if you are sick of hearing about it.

I'm sorry, I'd love to write a check but the IRS has confiscated 30% of my earnings and will more than likely want a nice fat check come April 15!

I'll leave it to the federal government since they have my money!!

[todd1]

I think the difference is that those are man made disasters and this one is natural... We fear what we cannot control... so it is big news.

[Captain Peter Blood]

I think the problem is that because of TV the last 30 years or we have become desensitized about disasters in general. The numbers of people being affected are tremendous yet in one aspect it's just another TV disaster where the coverage is very over the top to the point of exhaustion to watch.
I think excessive TV coverage of events, graphic video games, etc. have just about numbed us as a group that we are beyond being shocked, shamed or bowled over by catastrophic events.
I know that I should feel more than I have been feeling since this thing happened about 10 days ago and I made a contribution to the relief effort but beyond that I just don't seen to have the kind pathos of feeling I should for a terrible disaster like this. I am afraid we as a nation we have become so numbed and desensitized by things we just don't give things like this much more than momentary passing thoughts and then we move on.
I know this sounds terribly cynical and I wish I didn't feel that way.

[Strategerist]

There are overcovered man-made disasters.

Take the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Every single death on either side is world news; I believe this has contributed to the conflict being prolonged.

In the grand scheme of wars, civil wars, civil disorders, the entire history of it is basically a flyspeck.

The Sri Lankan Civil was was far, far bloodier, had a much higher number of suicide bombers, and got no coverage at all.

[FLCowboy,]

Whether the TV coverage is too much, or too little, Its a major news event, and if you don't share the world's sympathy over the tradegy, that fine, but don't make a big deal out it.

[Barney Gumble]

I like you bye line

[FDNYRHEROES]

Natural Disasters are caused by Global Warming (of course) and thus, all these disasters are Bush's fault. Didn't you see "The Day After Tomorrow?"

I think they got it wrong in the movie's premise. Women & minorities did not appear to be the hardest hit....

[KiloLima]

Thanks, it's staying up as long as need be.

[baseballfanjm]

I have. Considering what's been headlining the news lately (Kobe Bryant, Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson), a story of truly great significance leading the coverage doesn't bother me. True, the media could focus on other things, but the media is always going to sensationalize one thing at a time (remember the shark killings from a few years ago?), and here's something so big that they can't really do that.

[FDNYRHEROES]

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

You laugh, but we may have to rebuild those tourist economies one beer at a time...