5 ms·

Where do the reporters in Haiti get their food and shelter?

33 points by robg 17y ago

edd 17y ago
I remember thinking during the first report to come out of Haiti how did the reporters get in there when you just showed us a video of British rescue teams stuck at a near-by airport who have spent the day failing at getting in.
- goatforce5 17y ago
  After the Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania, it turned out a number of journalists lied to airline staff, saying that they were relatives of some of the recently deceased so that they could get a seat on some of the limited number of flights heading from mainland Australia to Tasmania. This was exposed by a news programme, Media Watch, and (anecdotally, at least) led to the Australian airlines requiring official proof of death/illness before trying to find last-minute seats for the relatives of dead or dying people.
  - whatusername 17y ago
    Really? I never knew that. (I was in Grade 6 when Port Arthur happened I guess). I love media watch. Great show.
gsmaverick 17y ago
Those reporters are taking up valuable resources that could be used to save people. Just imagine the money news organizations spend to have their contingent down there. That money would go much farther if used to fund rescue & recovery activities.
- robg 17y ago
  Covering the event doesn't amplify the need for donors?
  - gsmaverick 17y ago
    You don't need to have a team of ~70 over there!
    - robg 17y ago
      Take the nightly news. Of the broadcast networks, one channel (NBC) gets 10 million views. The other two get 8.5 (ABC) and 6.7 (CBS) million viewers. Now add up the long-tail. Isn't the sum greater than the parts? http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/ http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/ Sure, in an ideal world resources would get shared. But that's ignoring (1) they're not sharing already, where they can; and (2) they'd have to negotiate a bunch of things when they could be simply covering the stories.
    - jonknee 17y ago
      I doubt they have 70 people there just for fun. They can't exactly drive around in a sat truck and do a live shot with a reporter and a camera operator. There's no place to stay, no place to eat, no easy way to travel, no easy way to communicate, no security, etc etc. Tons of legwork just to get basic reports out.
    - TrevorJ 17y ago
      As somebody who has worked in video production for 7+ years, I can tell you that crew sizes are down to a science. There's no profit in traveling overseas with more people than you absolutely need.
- jrwoodruff 17y ago
  Just imagine if no reporters were there to inform the rest of the world of the disaster and bring the scale of destruction home. How much aid and money would be available to Haiti then?
  - InclinedPlane 17y ago
    Probably about the same amount. The aid and money started flowing before the first reporter set foot on Haiti. How many reporters do we need to tell us the same stories about Haiti? How many reporters in Haiti right now are actually reporting legitimately worthwhile stories and how many are taking part in filming disaster porn where Haiti is nothing more than a stunning visual backdrop for their hackneyed monologues?
    - almost 17y ago
      I think you underestimate the fickleness of the general public. It probably wouldn't take more than a sex scandal to wipe all awareness of this from the public consciousness.
      - InclinedPlane 17y ago
        I think you may be confusing the public consciousness with mainstream TV news coverage. A lot of things, even important things, happen in the world without being covered by the news media.
        almost 17y ago
        And the public by and large ignores them, which was my point.
ilamont 17y ago
The slate piece kind of echoes the old Sam Kinison bit about TV coverage of natural disasters, famine, etc. "Couldn't the cameraman just give the kid a sandwich?" but there are some complex issues at play. Media coverage of disasters enables the world at large to understand what's going on and act in order to help those affected. How many readers have donated money in the past week to Haiti relief? By comparison, how many donated money in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which killed upwards of 140,000 people in Burma in May 2008, but received far less global media coverage, owing to press resitrctions in the country? One other thing to consider about the press coverage of Haiti, and other disasters: The stress on the journalists covering death and destruction can actually trigger PTSD. The Nieman report just had an entire issue devoted to stress and other issues experienced by journalists covering traumatic events or interviewing the victims of disasters and crimes. You can see it at http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101958 http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101958 but be forewarned, some of the content is disturbing.
kierank 17y ago
There's someone recording raw footage straight from the satellite feeds to the news station and putting it on Youtube. Really interesting to see it raw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQMjCzyZ_jw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQMjCzyZ_jw
sophacles 17y ago
My sister is on USS Bataan -- there are many reporters who hitched a ride on that ship. Apparently they are hogging the internet connection so I don't get nearly as many "inside scoop" updates as I would like.

33 points by robg 17y ago

edd 17y ago

I remember thinking during the first report to come out of Haiti how did the reporters get in there when you just showed us a video of British rescue teams stuck at a near-by airport who have spent the day failing at getting in.

goatforce5 17y ago
After the Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania, it turned out a number of journalists lied to airline staff, saying that they were relatives of some of the recently deceased so that they could get a seat on some of the limited number of flights heading from mainland Australia to Tasmania. This was exposed by a news programme, Media Watch, and (anecdotally, at least) led to the Australian airlines requiring official proof of death/illness before trying to find last-minute seats for the relatives of dead or dying people.
- whatusername 17y ago
  Really? I never knew that. (I was in Grade 6 when Port Arthur happened I guess). I love media watch. Great show.

gsmaverick 17y ago

Those reporters are taking up valuable resources that could be used to save people. Just imagine the money news organizations spend to have their contingent down there. That money would go much farther if used to fund rescue & recovery activities.

robg 17y ago
Covering the event doesn't amplify the need for donors?
- gsmaverick 17y ago
  You don't need to have a team of ~70 over there!
  - robg 17y ago
    Take the nightly news. Of the broadcast networks, one channel (NBC) gets 10 million views. The other two get 8.5 (ABC) and 6.7 (CBS) million viewers. Now add up the long-tail. Isn't the sum greater than the parts? http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/ http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/evening_news_ratings/ Sure, in an ideal world resources would get shared. But that's ignoring (1) they're not sharing already, where they can; and (2) they'd have to negotiate a bunch of things when they could be simply covering the stories.
  - jonknee 17y ago
    I doubt they have 70 people there just for fun. They can't exactly drive around in a sat truck and do a live shot with a reporter and a camera operator. There's no place to stay, no place to eat, no easy way to travel, no easy way to communicate, no security, etc etc. Tons of legwork just to get basic reports out.
  - TrevorJ 17y ago
    As somebody who has worked in video production for 7+ years, I can tell you that crew sizes are down to a science. There's no profit in traveling overseas with more people than you absolutely need.
jrwoodruff 17y ago
Just imagine if no reporters were there to inform the rest of the world of the disaster and bring the scale of destruction home. How much aid and money would be available to Haiti then?
- InclinedPlane 17y ago
  Probably about the same amount. The aid and money started flowing before the first reporter set foot on Haiti. How many reporters do we need to tell us the same stories about Haiti? How many reporters in Haiti right now are actually reporting legitimately worthwhile stories and how many are taking part in filming disaster porn where Haiti is nothing more than a stunning visual backdrop for their hackneyed monologues?
  - almost 17y ago
    I think you underestimate the fickleness of the general public. It probably wouldn't take more than a sex scandal to wipe all awareness of this from the public consciousness.
    - InclinedPlane 17y ago
      I think you may be confusing the public consciousness with mainstream TV news coverage. A lot of things, even important things, happen in the world without being covered by the news media.
      - almost 17y ago
        And the public by and large ignores them, which was my point.

ilamont 17y ago

The slate piece kind of echoes the old Sam Kinison bit about TV coverage of natural disasters, famine, etc. "Couldn't the cameraman just give the kid a sandwich?" but there are some complex issues at play. Media coverage of disasters enables the world at large to understand what's going on and act in order to help those affected. How many readers have donated money in the past week to Haiti relief? By comparison, how many donated money in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which killed upwards of 140,000 people in Burma in May 2008, but received far less global media coverage, owing to press resitrctions in the country? One other thing to consider about the press coverage of Haiti, and other disasters: The stress on the journalists covering death and destruction can actually trigger PTSD. The Nieman report just had an entire issue devoted to stress and other issues experienced by journalists covering traumatic events or interviewing the victims of disasters and crimes. You can see it at http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101958 http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=101958 but be forewarned, some of the content is disturbing.

kierank 17y ago

There's someone recording raw footage straight from the satellite feeds to the news station and putting it on Youtube. Really interesting to see it raw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQMjCzyZ_jw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQMjCzyZ_jw

sophacles 17y ago

My sister is on USS Bataan -- there are many reporters who hitched a ride on that ship. Apparently they are hogging the internet connection so I don't get nearly as many "inside scoop" updates as I would like.