To a point it's fair: you can't really tell an interesting story about the quiet, peaceful parts of town, and if I did not many clients would be likely to broadcast it.
That's intriguing - I'm certainly a newspaper reader/watcher who'd like to hear more about peaceful streets and the return of order!
Well you say that. In reality though what would I actually say? "Here is one street which wasn't affected at all...everyone is fine and there's no looting. Just so you know." I suppose you could do that once to make a point, but after that you've kind of said it all. It's not the return of order, it's just normal life, as in a million other towns around the world.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for news organisations covering a range of experiences and not just wars and disasters - that's why I like the fact that AFP lets me go off and make films about singing baboons and circumcision and stuff. But this isn't an appropriate time to be doing stories about Haitian handicrafts. The point of me being here is to try and explain how the country is coping with the earthquake, and if I had to hedge every report around with statements explaining that this is not necessarily representative of all parts of the country, I would never get anything said.
But this isn't an appropriate time to be doing stories about Haitian handicrafts.
You are right, it isn't. But showing an interest in peaceful streets or return of order doesn't equal something facetious like that. It just means wanting to know whether that's a reality. Are there places in Haiti that are not in chaos? We want to know. Is order being restored in places? We want to know. It's also part of the story - just as vital as covering the chaos.
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That's intriguing - I'm certainly a newspaper reader/watcher who'd like to hear more about peaceful streets and the return of order!
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Don't get me wrong, I am all for news organisations covering a range of experiences and not just wars and disasters - that's why I like the fact that AFP lets me go off and make films about singing baboons and circumcision and stuff. But this isn't an appropriate time to be doing stories about Haitian handicrafts. The point of me being here is to try and explain how the country is coping with the earthquake, and if I had to hedge every report around with statements explaining that this is not necessarily representative of all parts of the country, I would never get anything said.
Reply
You are right, it isn't. But showing an interest in peaceful streets or return of order doesn't equal something facetious like that. It just means wanting to know whether that's a reality. Are there places in Haiti that are not in chaos? We want to know. Is order being restored in places? We want to know. It's also part of the story - just as vital as covering the chaos.
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