PressEthic

It has been mentioned time and time again that the media coverage of the South Asian quake has been muted since its initial break in international news. Maybe it's because this wretched disaster managed to destroy the physical infrastructure of the local media in the region. In addition, at least 50 members of the media community are confirmed dead. With this absence of local news outlets communicating imperative information, it's no wonder there are still people in dire need of aid. Without donations of media resources, material relief such as food and medicine may not reach people hardest hit because they haven't been appropriately notified. For this reason, information flow into areas of devastation is an integral part of the humanitarian effort to help victims in need. But according to the Christian Science Monitor,

donor governments are increasingly eliminating their mass media departments as part of their humanitarian or development contributions. They simply do not see information as a priority.

And in the case of the South Asian catastrophe,

few were aware of how difficult it would prove for rescuers to reach isolated areas quickly. With transmitters down and radios lost in the rubble, survivors had little access to credible information. Rumors were rampant. Many whose mountain villages were cut off realized only too late that their sole hope for survival was to trek out, their wounded on their backs, when helicopters could not fly because of bad weather. Initial air drops or mules loaded with basic supplies, including cheap transistor radios, might have helped.

Media should always be a charitable contribution in times of crisis. When survivors of natural disasters in remote areas of developing countries need assistance, the usefulness of mediums such as radio is indispensable. To illustarte, in my father's village 300 miles outside of Cairo, many of the villagers are illiterate and telephone and television are still not available. But radios are. In a crisis situation, this would be the only source of credible information for local residents. Reliable news sources should not be underestimated because they allow for informed choice-making and subsequently speed up relief efforts.