Since the earthquake in Haiti occurred one year ago, the media has played a huge role in raising global awareness of the situation in the country, and consequently, fueling the donations to relief organizations. Billions of dollars have been promised to help aid the suffering in the country, from world organizations such as the Red Cross and Unicef, a portion of this money being donated by individual donations. Recently, a cholera outbreak has caused an epidemic in the already struggling country. It is stated that the earthquake created conditions in which the cholera virus could “flourish”, “with people forced to live in tent cities, taking their water from the same rivers where others wash and defecate” (Boseley). As a disease, cholera has not been known to occur in Haiti previously, and has therefore created confusion as to how it was able to spread here. Much of the questions revolve around the issue of what is being done with the billions of dollars worth of aid money.
The media has played a role in presenting the ongoing and almost overwhelming tragedy in the country, leaving many people with a sense of hopelessness in terms of what can and should be done. As an individual being bombarded with catastrophic images, one may feel a sense of duty to help. The easiest and most immediate way of doing so is through the donation of money. However, with all the money that has been raised, the media has not been clear in showing what is being done with these contributions. Whether these actions are being hidden from the public in order to create a constant feeling of urgency in order to keep the money coming in, or whether the money is simply not being put to proper use, is unknown. In terms of the cholera epidemic, many people have been left wondering why basic steps where not taken to prevent this sort of outbreak, while billions of dollars had been available. However, others believe that “if urgency were less of a factor, donations would surely decrease, and there would be less funds for the long term efforts” (Shikhvarger). This is understandable that efforts require not only money, but individuals and skilled workers to deliver aid and implement long-term infrastructures including shelter, drainage, and clean water facilities. However, it is also questionable as to why temporary measures such as vaccinations where not put into place. In his article “Alms Dealers”, Gourevitch claims that images of suffering are more likely to invoke aid and that often, stories are presented “without political or historical context” (106, Gourevitch).
The media creates a situation in which people are compelled to donate their money and feel then, as if they have done their part. There is a sense of disconnection from the real situation in Haiti. Gourevitch also claims that “Emergency aid weakens recipient governments, eroding their accountability and undermining their legitimacy” (108, Gourevitch). Of course, it would be completely unfair to simply ignore the situation in Haiti and let the country deal with the problem themselves, this statement has some truth to it as well, in terms of the way the situation is being managed . Under the Open Society Foundations, Daniel Magloire addresses this particular idea and is critical of the media coverage in regards to Haiti. She claims that as of now, the media is “crammed with personal commentary” and that the facts presented “lack integrity and the necessary background to make sense of them” (Magloire). She explains further, that “the events the media present exist without continuity” leaving the people that are actually experiencing the issues firsthand, unable to understand “the predicament in which they find themselves” (Magloire). She expresses the worthwhile concern that this in turn “weakens the government” and “creates a magical view of reality, one that assumes that human intervention can do little to change things for the better” (Magloire). It would be worthwhile to explore the ways in which current media representation is affecting the perceptions of Haitians themselves, and the consequences of this.
Yan Shikhvarger http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2010/02/18/haiti-disaster-relief-impact-social-digital-media/
Daniele Magloire http://blog.soros.org/2011/01/separating-magic-from-media-in-haiti/
Sarah Boseley http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/12/cholera-haiti
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