Tsunami Coverage

[WhiteElephant]

Is it just me or is does the news coverage of the Asian quake/ tsunami seem staged and uninformative?

This is one of the major events which has happened during my lifetime and we have been getting:

1) Sporadic updates when the 911 disaster was getting 24 hour coverage, and the death count is at least 5 times higher.

2) Sensationalised pictures of bodies with droning, weepy music in the background . How about some information – what is the extent of the damage to villages, property, what is being planned in the way of relief, etc.

3) Focus on the handful of Australians killed/ injured – WHAT ABOUT THE 20,000 LOCAL INHABITANTS KILLED – FORGET ABOUT EM.

[Spiny Norman]

WHAT ABOUT THE 20,000 LOCAL INHABITANTS KILLED – FORGET ABOUT EM.

Its a bit like if Cpl. Jones from Dad's Army were providing the coverage ... 5 Australians lost ... and a few fuzzy-wuzzies.

Its a horrendous situation. I've had to turn the TV off at some points as I can't bear to watch it. Too gruesome.

[WhiteElephant]

I wonder why the 911 disaster was getting so much more coverage - could it be that due to our political and economic ties with the US, they are deemed to be more important and newsworthy?

[Trent Parker]

To tell the truth i was watching the news last night and i have already heard enough of it. It's too sad. I am glad that there is not 24hr coverage.

Come to think of it i got pretty sick of the 911 coverage as well......

[WhiteElephant]

To tell the truth i was watching the news last night and i have already heard enough of it. It's too sad. I am glad that there is not 24hr coverage.

Come to think of it i got pretty sick of the 911 coverage as well......

When I watch it I get depressed too. I would prefer it to be more fact-based rather than trying to elicit as much emotion as possible.

Stewart Diver anyone....

[Alan Shore]

Its a bit like if Cpl. Jones from Dad's Army were providing the coverage ... 5 Australians lost ... and a few fuzzy-wuzzies.

'You kill one, it is a tragedy. You kill ten million, it is a statistic.' - Joseph Stalin

[Spiny Norman]

'You kill one, it is a tragedy. You kill ten million, it is a statistic.' - Joseph Stalin

Gee, did he really say that? What a brute!

[WhiteElephant]

'You kill one, it is a tragedy. You kill ten million, it is a statistic.' - Joseph Stalin

That reminds me of Hitler's: 'The bigger the lie, the more likely it is that it will be believed.'

[antichrist]

That reminds me of Hitler's: 'The bigger the lie, the more likely it is that it will be believed.'

Religions are a perfect example of this.

I have been led to believe that this is an ancient Arab saying.

[Libby]

I wonder why the 911 disaster was getting so much more coverage - could it be that due to our political and economic ties with the US, they are deemed to be more important and newsworthy?

Try a comparison with the millions who die in Africa with war, aids, hunger etc or even the thousands of anonymous, civilian Iraquis. Substitute "anonymous" with "not quite like us" or "not someone you'll see on Friends" for why we don't care in the same way. Or why the media would make you believe we don't care in the same way.

I always find it disconcerting how they can skip from the Tsunami (or similar tragedy) to the Boxing Day Test and suburban squabbling over dustbin collections in barely a blink on the "Today" show or news bulletins.

[WhiteElephant]

I always find it disconcerting how they can skip from the Tsunami (or similar tragedy) to the Boxing Day Test and suburban squabbling over dustbin collections in barely a blink on the "Today" show or news bulletins.

I noticed this yesterday...the newsreader had his serious face on when reporting on the Tsunami, then went straight into a huge smile when a human interest story came up.

As an aside, when I was living in the Ukraine, the news always started with the latest International stories, which took up most of the news hour, followed by local news to finish up. In Australia, unfortunately, we often don't get much World News at all unless it is: Dame Edna Makes it Big in Hollywood or something like that.

[Libby]

I noticed this yesterday...the newsreader had his serious face on when reporting on the Tsunami, then went straight into a huge smile when a human interest story came up.

As an aside, when I was living in the Ukraine, the news always started with the latest International stories, which took up most of the news hour, followed by local news to finish up. In Australia, unfortunately, we often don't get much World News at all unless it is: Dame Edna Makes it Big in Hollywood or something like that.

SBS is a little better, amazing how much more can be happening in the world when you change channels.

I fear something like the US news services becoming the norm. You know - not in our country (or not somewhere we want to bomb etc) - not on the news.

It's the same trend with the news that took over current affairs programming. Not much current affairs or analysis but lots of Paris Hilton, detergent comparisons and blatant cross-promotion of the "family" media product.

[Rincewind]

What's the problem? The media are not about reporting the truth, let alone balance. Anyone with that ideal left the industry years ago. They have a product to sell and will "report" any story that sells. 9/11, Bali "sold". Civil wars that have gone on for 20 years in Africa, gonig on for another year, doesn't sell. Australia winning a test series (if they do it) does sell well.

Natural disasters (as a rule) don't sell well unless they occur in an industrialised (and preferably western) country.

The other thing they lack is pictures. The same amatuer videos will get pretty old pretty fast so what are you going to show? Nervous relatives waiting for word on loved ones? With eleven still missing there will be some of those, but hardly 24x7 quantity of footage to show, even if they wanted to.

[arosar]

What's the problem?

Exactly!

Earthquake struck. Tsunami. Flood. Thousands died. Many missing. Aid relief en route.

What else is there to know?

AR

[Libby]

What's the problem? The media are not about reporting the truth, let alone balance. Anyone with that ideal left the industry years ago. They have a product to sell and will "report" any story that sells. 9/11, Bali "sold". Civil wars that have gone on for 20 years in Africa, gonig on for another year, doesn't sell. Australia winning a test series (if they do it) does sell well.

Natural disasters (as a rule) don't sell well unless they occur in an industrialised (and preferably western) country.

The other thing they lack is pictures. The same amatuer videos will get pretty old pretty fast so what are you going to show? Nervous relatives waiting for word on loved ones? With eleven still missing there will be some of those, but hardly 24x7 quantity of footage to show, even if they wanted to.

Yeah, well some of us idealists are still living in the commune ...

And this idealist has a problem with the news needing to "rate" and with news segments having to be sponsored by colgate or the Mercure Grand Chalet etc. I'd prefer to watch the news as news and not be fed (complete)garbage. However, that's not the real world and as long as we want the sanitised, censored (government or network), light and fluffy version that's what we'll get dished up and my children will continue to follow and quote the headlines as if they actually tell them the story. (I am working on training them to be more discerning).

The lack of "new" footage didn't stop the blanket 9/11 coverage. I'm at home full-time and I know I saw the same stuff, same interviews, same grabs, same victim stories again & again & again.

And of course the average poor Indian fisherman probably doesn't have a mobile phone & handycam to get the right images.