Tsunami Media Coverage and Global Humanitarian Ethics

The media response to the tsunami was fast and massive. A relatively unknown hazard in the shape of a devastating flood wave was a great story and set new standards for emergency coverage. The rapidly increasing death toll - increasing from a few hundred to almost two hundred thousand - captured news editors’ interest for days. ‘Tsunami’ became the new word in everyone’s vocabulary.

Several factors contributed to the impressive media response: the dramatically visual nature of a tsunami appearing from out of the blue and devastating tropical coastlines; the sudden and in places total destruction and the high number of casualties; the apparent randomness of a tsunami hitting innocent people along coastlines; the simplicity of an event triggered by nature with no people to blame; the timing (during Christmas), allowing the media to play on charitable sentiments; the familiarity of the affected region and the presence of Western tourists, which generated commitment from outside the usual group of humanitarian sympathizers. One could argue that the tsunami had appeal for everyone.

For the media, instant disaster coverage is no longer a technical challenge. Tourists and reporters readily provided footage, which brought the tsunami to life on all continents. Sky TV News sent fifty journalists from London to South-East Asia to cover the tsunami compared to having only one correspondent in Africa (Gidley, 11.03.05). Based on an analysis of more than 200 English-language newspapers from around the world, Reuters Alertnet found that the tsunami got more media attention in the first six weeks after it struck than all of the world’s top ten emergencies received in the past year. The “forgotten” emergencies were complex political scenarios such as the events in Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur in Sudan, Northern Uganda, Liberia, Colombia, Haiti, Chechen and Nepal along with globally significant public health emergencies such as AIDS, TB and malaria (Jones, 10.05.2005). None of these long-term and under-funded emergencies can easily be converted into simple sound bites provoking immediate emotional reactions from empathetic viewers like the tsunami did. Because there is a relationship between media attention – especially television coverage – and donor commitment, it is worth investigating how emergencies make headlines.

Emergencies related to the security agenda of leading world powers generate media interest. Touching eyewitness reports - preferably from star reporters - and shocking statistics often succeed in promoting forgotten emergencies if they represent a new take on things. Stereotypically, the focus of tsunami coverage was initially on foreign donations rather than in-country assistance and on helpless victims rather than resourceful responders. In addition, it took time before the media sensed the geography of the disaster and reported from places other than Southern Thailand and Sri Lanka. While a number of disaster myths were repeated, new insights made headlines. Although initial focus was on immediate effects, many journalists quickly stressed the long-term implications of the disaster. The unfounded risk of diseases from dead bodies re-occurred, prompting public health experts to question the rational for undignified mass burials. The international media played an important role in promoting the UN – rather than unilateral donors – to coordinate the emergency response and in disseminating the news that some NGOs said “stop” to further donations at a time when the emotional appeal of the tsunami was still running high.

The massive media interest had huge fund raising implications. While initially there was limited commitment from some official donors, the general public in affected developing and developed countries donated generously. Gradually, a competition developed as to which country could do the most and give the most money to the victims. The tsunami response will probably turn out to be one of the best-funded humanitarian operations ever, which seems difficult to reconcile in light of the emergencies that remain “forgotten”.

In a global era, it is necessary to develop a global humanitarian ethic based on the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Only by offering humanitarian assistance based on need – and need only – will the humanitarian community be able to fulfill the expectations of those in need. This must remain a more important agenda item than letting the media set priorities for disaster managers throughout the world.

Erik Kjaergaard has worked as Emergency Focal Point for WHO in Nepal and as Area Coordinator in OCHA Sudan. He is currently a student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and can be contacted at erikkjaergaard@hotmail.com

Sources:

Gidley R., World’s forgotten crises scream for attention. www.alertnet.org  Alertnet, London, 09.03.2005.

Gidley R., Has tsunami carved a news niche for disasters? www.alertnet.org  Alertnet, London, 11.03.2005.

Jones M., Tsunami coverage dwarfs ‘forgotten’ crises research. www.alertnet.org  Alertnet, London, 10.03.2005.

Reuters, The media after the tsunami: What hope is there for the ‘forgotten emergencies? www.alternet.org  Alertnet Panel Debate, London, 10.03.2005.