The Week Nothing Else Mattered but Haiti

January 21, 2010 by Roland
Filed under Commentary

As CNN and other news networks began to report on the monstrous earthquake that struck Haiti, nearly all of us were in the dark — unable to broadcast pictures out of the country due to a lack of power. All we had to rely on were e-mails, text messages and phone calls relaying signs of misery that would shock anyone. We all kept reminding the public that daylight would allow a true assessment of the impact of the earthquake and to prepare for utter devastation.

And as the sun rose the next day over the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, we began to see what others could only describe. Frankly, it made the ravaged U.S. Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina look pale in comparison.

It has simply been stunning to watch the human carnage in Haiti. Lifeless bodies along the streets. Schoolhouses filled with children eager to learn, now destroyed by the 7.0 earthquake. Nothing but heartache and misery, and the nation has a long way to go before any sense of normalcy returns.

It has been hard for me because I was planning to travel to Haiti in March for the first time. I was going to interview the president and first lady of the country, as well as connect with my roots. The parents of my maternal grandfather, Clarence Lemond Sr., migrated to Opelousas, La., from Haiti, and I wanted to see their homeland.

I will still go, but clearly it will not remotely resemble what I envisioned.

As expected, the human suffering has led to an amazing outpouring of love and compassion. Folks have put aside talk on social networks about their inconsequential life drama, and instead sent money and resources on Facebook, Twitter, BlackPlanet and other online outlets.

Yet even as more individuals show the best in themselves, we have witnessed the deplorable and sickening actions of individuals who are so callous and uncaring it’s beyond belief.

We have listened to the Rev. Pat Robertson and blowhard Rush Limbaugh make some of the most insensitive and asinine comments that we have ever heard, ignoring the plight of the citizens, but giving us their warped view of what is occurring. Then we have the top three shows on Fox News Channel — Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck — devoting less than seven minutes TOTAL to the situation in Haiti on the second day of the catastrophe.

Sure, they are opinion shows, but to think some of the other issues matter more than what’s happening in Haiti? Pathetic and utterly defenseless. The owner of Fox and News Corp. also owns the New York Post, and for two days, Haiti didn’t merit the cover of their front page, just another piece on the NY Jets or the president’s health care push. And you call yourselves news organizations?

Do we give them more attention now by remarking on this? Yes. But we should call them out for their shameful and pathetic conduct as well as those who protect them from criticism, such as Matthew Balan and his cohorts at NewsBusters.org, a conservative media website. They decry everything said by the left, but when one of their own says something stupid, they ignore it.

Millions listen to Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh every day on radio and television, and millions watch Fox News Channel’s opinion shows. But to ignore what is happening in Haiti, or use the situation to advance your ideological and so-called religious views, is immoral.

I hope and pray those who watch and listen to you see through your shallowness and turn away. Because you don’t deserve their support.

CNN, MSNBC and others rightly covered the story with wall-to-wall coverage (including Fox’s daytime lineup). And that should be the case. This is a story happening in the western hemisphere, and it is worthy of massive coverage. That’s what news organizations do. You throw out the usual game plan when major news happens and do your best for your audience.

I hope after a week or two, we simply don’t pack up our equipment, flee Haiti and wait for the next disaster to strike. The developments in the country deserve our attention, especially the efforts to rebuild a poor and ravaged nation. I’ve got a good idea who will return to tell the story. Maybe those who have given the story short shrift will see the error of their ways.

Haiti matters. And our children, friends and family should witness the horror as a reminder of how truly blessed we are for what we have. I can tell you that I will never forget what I have witnessed and neither should you.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN analyst and the author of the forthcoming book “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.” Please visit his website at www.RolandSMartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.