Tsunami counter-spin

One more for the Tsunami oddities list:

8. Most survivors are apparently children, now orphaned. (Children and elderly are usually the first to perish in a major disaster.)

I'm not the only one rethinking the Tsunami's media hype. Here's a letter from NOW Magazine (January 13-20, 2005):

Media's tsunami sell job

More than 140,000 people have died as a result of the tsunami, and thousands more are suffering from lack of shelter, disease and dehydration. It's hard to comprehend that amount of suffering. Everywhere I look, everyone is pitching in, raising money, organizing benefits.

All of these efforts make me feel incredibly inspired, but also concerned. The sudden death of more than 100,000 people is not a new or unique phenomenon. More than 30,000 children die from preventable diseases every single day. No headlines, no photos of bodies, no public pleas for money, no speeches by Paul Martin.

It seems that images of horrible death are only allowed onto our front pages if they are caused by natural disaster rather than economic starvation.

It has to look like a Hollywood disaster blockbuster, and it has to have a feel-good happy ending with lots of big announcements about relief.

Don't get me wrong, I think the fundraising efforts are great. But do we as a community only respond to mass death when the mass media decides it's a sellable story?

Dave Meslin
Toronto

Now Magazine, 'Letters to the Editor,' January 13-20, 2005.