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The New York Times has another to-the-point editorial about the Burma (Myanmar) disaster. (The other one.) This one deals with issues of information flow and freedom of the press and reinforces our understanding that there is no such thing as a natural disaster:
If information can flow as freely as nature’s elements, the consequences of many calamities — be they earthquakes, floods, droughts, hurricanes or storms — are manageable and even preventable. Absent such freedom in news and information, all “natural” disasters are ultimately man-made.
1 comment:
This is interesting because not only is freedom in news essential to identify vulneranility, but also diversity in news. More often than not severe natural disasters are covered by the press until they lose their newsworthiness then are shoved to the side. Granted, if there isn't a new story in the aftermath of a natural hazard the media is less likely to continue coverage. But there are many stories to be told in the wake of a natural disaster, unfortunately there's a lack of reporters and diverse news sources to cover them. The media is the most powerful outlet to recognize vulnerability within a community because they continuously tell the stories of the community. Over the course of the past decade news media companies have greatly reduced their investigative reporting staff. The result is less stories about the community. In turn people put the continuing hardships those in Hurricane Katrina still face today, or the small business owners affected by the Chehalis river flood. Sure there might not be new news, but also there may not be enough journalists poking around looking for the tradgedies and hardships the community is still facing from a natural disaster.
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