It's been mentioned before that when the tragic 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in early 2010, Haiti found itself in American news coverage more often. The videos and pictures of the disaster captured the attention of millions of American viewers as well as those in other countries. These videos and pictures that were taken from the US' news crews are an example of one of the negative impacts of media conglomeration.
The US' media in a way exploited Haiti during this tragic time. Now, yes, the US' media did play a huge role in encouraging people to donate funds to the people of Haiti and also helped spread the word about what was happening in Haiti but it's important to remember that this was one of the few times that Haiti was in the US media. This disaster was one way for the US media to generate more audience views, thus generating more money for the conglomerates. So instead of helping the people of Haiti, the US is exploiting them.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, the US media has flashed a negative light on Haiti in some of its previous coverage, specifically Haiti's former president, Jean Bertrand Aristide. In an article written for Harper's Magazine, author Ken Silverstein wondered why Haiti was in such poor condition and suggested that the American and French governments played a huge role. He uses other sources to support his claim and goes on to say that the American media "provides sanitized history for American audiences". This is an example of the limited point of view of media conglomerates.
Haitian - American media, as a result, have decided that its time for them to step up and promote a positive image for Haiti in American media. Several journalist have said that the Haitian - American media will now be "the eyes and ears" for the Haitian people.
Haitians in America React to Biased News Coverage of Haiti
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