The Media: Friend or Foe for Global Health Activists?

How the mainstream media can curb funding and public interest for health interventions.
Almost all of us can remember when the Haitian earthquake sent ripples of tragic photographs and interviews through the media. Depictions of the utter destruction gripping the capital of Port-au-Prince ran rampant as non-governmental (NGOs) and faith based organizations (FBOs) scrambled to unearth ways to begin reconstruction amidst unimaginable health concerns.
Such coverage of the aftermath has long been a characteristic of early humanitarian efforts. Poignant appeals to the morality of the public are classicexamples of the NGO and FBO arsenal. Indeed, one can remember the Sri Lankan tsunami of 2004 and the looped coverage of desperate individuals trying to outrun the wave to no avail. Although a rather effective means of recruiting attention and funds towards a particular end, the reliance of NGOs and FBOs on this acute form of marketing raises some serious concerns. Can support for humanitarian interventions be adequately sustained through the use of such media coverage?
As a case-study, the recent Haitian earthquake immediately raises a host of specific concerns surrounding the use of this marketing tactic. Has a reliance on these graphic representations inadvertently contributed to the haphazard nature of the response? Have these representations served to side-step the role of the Haitian government by directing funds and support directly to the NGOs and FBOs of the private-sector? And finally, have these tactics ensured an inevitable progression towards donor fatigue?
In the immediate days, weeks, and months following the earthquake, thousands of NGOs and FBOs streamed into Haiti. Disorganization and duplication resulted. Little coordination between the Haitian government or the already established organizations occurred. Such programmatic clashes have necessarily sustained the longevity of the “tent dwellings” strung throughout Port-au-Prince and its periphery.
To a certain extent, the overwhelming media coverage fed this frenzied response. The one-year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake was met with an intense level of media coverage. The media has shifted gears, highlighting how the funds supplied have been summarily met with almost indiscernible progress. John Mitchell the director of ALNAP states that “a responsible media have a role to play” in the reconstruction of Haiti. Yet, the headlining consensus seemed to communicate a sense of failure to the greater public. A debilitating Cholera outbreak, the possibility of election fraud, and the unexpected return of  former president “Baby Doc” Duvalier have been added to the laundry list of Haiti’s concerns. The lackluster analysis of commentators, oddly reminiscent of the coverage following the earthquake,  dominated the news coverage for the day. Such a report-card underlines the risk NGOs, FBOs, and global health advocates undertake by relying on the media. Not only did the intensity of initial media coverage overwhelm the early response process, but the current critical coverage may lead to decreased funding and a general loss of public interest. Donor fatigue is one of the worst calamities that may befall a humanitarian intervention. Many NGOs and FBOs lack a steady source of funding other than the donations they receive from the public.
The major problem with mass media coverage of humanitarian crises is the little control that NGOs, FBOs, and advocates have over the content. In such an equation, those who care about the individuals on the receiving end of humanitarian assistance should continue to enumerate current initiatives to the greater public.
Appealing to the moral obligations of the public sphere, is by far one of the most effective forms of leverage that global health organizations possess. In order to keep global health interests at the forefront of the general public’s attention, such organizations should work together to moderate the notions of the mass media; they should keep alive the audacity to work towards complete reconstruction.
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