A perfect characterization of the national media flocking to the scene of OK tornado....

[Ninga]

"Disaster Porn"

[Raven]

1. These ghouls are picking among

the ruins of peoples lives...literally. Just described items in a little girl's destroyed bedroom. I wonder if that little girl is even alive. MSNBC coverage is making be physically sick.

[tanyev]

2. One of our local reporters did a bit where he went down into someone's shelter

and showed that they'd brought in stuffed animals, food, a cooler, etc. all the while talking us through his imaginary version of the event. He didn't talk to any of the actual family members--I got them impression they just came up on this shelter after the family had left and decided to show it. He seemed really emotional telling his imagined story. I don't know if he was genuinely affected or if he was doing his best Glenn Beck imitation. I had to turn him off because he sounded so much like Beck.

[Ninga]

4. Feeling icky reading your description - disaster porn at it's worst.

[Ninga]

3. Sadly, it looks like for the foreseeable future the cable heads will be at this 24/7....to what end?

I am fearful enough that our country has become desensitized when it comes to violence and tragedy.

Disaster porn is a drum beat that starts to dull feelings, because of the overwrought nature of the anchors selling the story. Cable news actually interferes, rather than helps.

[flamingdem]

5. The headlines should be about how the death toll was LESS than believed

but you won't see the number popping up on CNN now because that makes them look like they are spending too much time on what they said was the hugest tornado ever, blah blah.

[Nye Bevan]

6. If people see the coverage of how bad things are, and that spurs them to make a donation,

is that really a bad thing?

[treestar]

7. What amazed me is how little information they give

About tornadoes, about this one - I have many questions that have not even occurred to them.

[oldhippie]

8. And if they weren't covering it .....

... we'd all be bitching about the "news blackout."

[Ninga]

11. There is covering it and then there is covering it...one hour each,morning afternoon,early evening

and late evening equals four daily hours.

[cynatnite]

9. It is not...

This is one of the ways that people get help. This is one of the ways that encourage people to donate to organizations like the Red Cross. This is one of the ways we can use to pressure the government to do a better job of providing relief as well.

This does serve a purpose.

[Ninga]

10. There are more households on the US who do NOT have cable than do..specially

scheduled telethon type programs are highly effective in raising disaster relief funding.

That is quite different and apart from 24/7 no-new-news coverage which feeds those who thrive on helpless drama.