Haiti and why media coverage of tragedies sucks!
Recently I have begun advocating for a new approach to media output. I would like to see a media that is focussed on looking at solutions, rather than just regurgitating scary and titillating images and statistics (or sometimes speculation, rumours and misinformation) which don’t help the people/situation being discussed and leave those watching, reading or listening feelings depressed and helpless.
With a 24 hour news cycle we have even more need to look again at the nature of media output. There is an opportunity, with such a wide window, to introduce new approaches. We can start to look not just at we’re putting out, but why and what for?
The media coverage surrounding the situation in Haiti has been pretty interesting, and has really highlighted to me the need for a shift. Every hour of every day we are given the estimates of how many people have died. We have been shown some of the most horrendous photos and video images of people caught in the disaster. People who have sought to help Haitians, like Wyclef, are being treated with suspicion and are being subjected to media gossip. Pastors and prominent personalities are coming out and making heartless statements… and we are now being given predictions of violence and unrest.
What is the point of all of that? What does all of that ‘information’, speculation and comment actually count for? Seeing bodies, hearing about death toll estimates, having commentary on the shoulda, woulda and coulda’s, and people giving their predictions of what might happen (which are usually the most negative things) do not help me, do not help those with family and friends in Haiti and certainly do not help Haiti.
All of this passes for ‘news’ and information, but isn’t it about time we start looking at what exactly constitutes news, and why? I’m not saying we shouldn’t give people the facts, but after the facts have been given, what benefit is there to repetition and embellishment of them?
We could give 2 hours of facts, for example, and 22 hours of great ideas and solutions about what we can all do to help not only the Haitian community, but any other community that needs help, or indeed just making our world, societies and communities a better place.
We cannot underestimate the power of the media when it comes to shaping public discourse and private conversation, as well as influencing the feelings and ideas that people have about the kind of environment and world in which they live in. So, those who produce and create media would do well to start questioning what the role of the media is, what the need for a particular type of output is, what effect that output may have, and what new approaches can be employed.
It is great to see stars and celebrities using their media power in these times to raise money, and so on. But it has to go beyond this. I think it’s time that we start having a media that is a great deal more socially responsible and conscious and uses its power and influence for the greater good. In a time of tragedy the necessity for that becomes even more apparent.
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Comments
The ’solution’ is pretty obvious when you think about; we need new cable and satelite channel
The Atrosity Channel-Nothing but attrosities across the world. I’m sure we could fill the 24 X 7 space with lot and lots of interesting attrosities.
The Apocolypse Channel-Dedicated to that fringe element of society that believes in spooks, goblins & asorted other weirdness related to the destruction of the earth/solar system/universe etc. by Gawd-DUH, pissed off aliens & what nots.
The Armagedon Channel-For all you bible/koran/torah nut jobs that believe that the words scribbled by a bunch of isolated freaks over 1000 years ago actually have real meaning.
Just think about it…
AMEN!!!