Earthquake getting no attention

October 31, 2005 —

The most devastating natural disaster of the year has displaced millions. The total devastation of the affected areas is still yet unknown, with many bodies unaccounted for.

Of course, we are referring to the earthquake that devastated Pakistan on Oct. 8. More than 80,000 people are believed to have perished in the 7.6 magnitude quake and its numerous aftershocks. As winter descends on the region at the foothills of the Himalayas, more than three million people are now homeless, which is certain to send the casualty figures from the earthquake into the hundreds of thousands.

Despite all of the death and carnage that has resulted from geological disaster, the mainstream media has ignored the plight of the victims. Major news outlets have turned inward, focusing on domestic problems at the expense of any substantial international coverage. Most Americans simply are not aware of the severity of the disaster unfolding in South Asia.

This is a startling reversal from ten months ago, when a tsunami wreaked havoc on Asia - and the media was there every step of the way. Yet less than a month after the earthquake, no serious mention of the earthquake exists in major U.S. media outlets.

The media - and the federal government - are doing a disservice to domestic security by turning a deaf ear to earthquake survivors. Lax attention in the U.S. has led to Islamic radicals often being the only source of support for earthquake victims, a fact likely to increase anti-American sentiment in the region. The media has failed to spur the federal government into assisting the displaced, something many Pakistanis will never forget.

In a region full of al Qaeda supporters, the United States had a once in a lifetime chance to improve its standing with aggrieved Muslims. Critics of the poor overall U.S. response to the earthquake raise an important question: did the fact that so many victims were Muslims cause the media to abrogate its journalistic responsibilities?

If the next attack on the U.S. comes from infuriated Pakistanis, one needs to look only at the media's failure to cover such a devastating natural disaster.