Coverage of Japan

24 hour news channels are a funny thing. It is not unreasonable to expect that there will be some basic level of journalistic standards, and having different opinions and perspectives from a range of staff is to be expected. With the proliferation of news sources comes an incentive to be first to break a story with little regard to reporting events accurately. With the 24 hour news channel, there is rarely enough news to fill the cycle. What is both a disservice to the viewers and simply disgusting behavior is the sensational manner in which CNN and Fox have been covering the tragedy in Japan. With over 10,000 dead, thousands more injured, homes destroyed, livelihoods lost, not to mention the radiation issue and the psychological trauma suffered, there is no shortage of topics worth discussing. Japan is also the world's third largest economy in addition to hosting over 26,000 American military personnel on the island of Okinawa alone.

The over the top graphics and ominous music belong in trailers for Michael Bay movies, not reports of a disaster that is going to have generational consequences. It seems that stations that try to add drama and tension to what are already highly dramatic situations are more concerned with keeping viewers on the hook with mini cliff hangers and fear mongering. I also find it unbelievable that every disaster necessitates that Anderson Cooper report on site in his smedium, black t-shirt and present himself as the locus of the suffering of millions of people. I fail to understand what it adds to news reporting to have a famous talking head on site instead of a field reporter. 

What's sad that all the concerned facial expressions and reverent tones will be gone as soon as people's lives are out of immediate danger. The cameras will not be there to cover the rebuilding process or the individuals piecing their lives back together. Just in the same way that they ignore the construction of democratic governments in Tunisia and Egypt.