I don’t mean to underplay the potentially serious nature of Hurricane Gustav when it hits the US coastline, probably tomorrow. But Bush and Cheney not going to the Republican convention this week, answers a lot of the questions that Carl Hiaasen raises in his column this week.
It’s a good get out. Bush gets criticised for over-flying the aftermath of Katrina rather than being down on the ground. So this time he’s proactive.
In the meantime, as the media coverage here in the UK escalates, and impending arrival of the hurricane dominates the news, we shouldn’t forget that more than eighty people have already died – especially in Haiti. In Cuba, 300,000 people were moved and there are no reports of any casualties. Say what you like about Castro (Raul that is), but the regime does seem to know how to look after its citizens.
And let’s not forget that elsewhere in the world, there is plenty of ongoing suffering – especially in Birhir, India, where widespread flooding has left over a million people homeless and a frankly unknown number have died.
While in China, the Sichuan province, still getting over its terrible earthquake earlier this year has suffered a further quake killing yet more people.
For some reason, these natural disasters don’t quite merit the on-the-hour coverage from multiple places of events with live satellite two-ways.
Comments
2 responses to “Gustav Coverage”
Not to defend the American media (since it’s definately atrocious), I do think part of that has to do with the wound left on this nation after Hurricane Katrina. It doesn’t excuse the lack of reporting on the China aftershock, for instance, but the failure of Katrina affected many Americans and I think the repeat of that is very scary to people.
However it is ridiculous how quickly foreign disasters are forgotten, since there has seemingly been no mention of the China earthquake since May. Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering and the American media stopped reporting on it after a month.
By the way, if anyone reading this wants to help, I’m working to get money for a school in China simultaneously: http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/build-a-school-for-chinas-earthquake-victims
Take a look.
I’ve no real problem with the US media giving it massive coverage. The government screwed up so badly last time around that it was always going to do everything within its power this time.
When natural disasters happen in the UK, we get the full treatment irrespective of how many people are dying elsewhere in the world. It’s inevitable and fair enough in many respects.
My problem is as much as anything aimed at the UK media which shows a ridiculous level of interest in the story when it is just one of many similar cases happening around the world.