Do Americans Sensationalize Tragedy?
In the wake of the catastrophic events that struck Japan last week, every news channel and talk show continues to give updates on the damaged country. Experts are brought onto morning shows to discuss radiation levels. Footage is aired of heartbroken Japanese among the devastated ruins. Stocks plummet. And this morning, Olympic medalist Tara Lipinski performs a skating routine dedicated to Japan and the Nagano Olympics that changed her life in 1998.
Everyone is watching to see what will happen next.
As I continued to absorb this awful reality and what it means for Japan as a nation, I couldn’t help but wonder to myself: do we as Americans like to sensationalize tragedy? As our behavior demonstrates, Americans like to be in the know. Ranging from the Elizabeth Smart case to the earthquake in Haiti, we are the first ones on the scene and inform to the best of our abilities. The public depends on the media for both knowledge and the comfort of knowing there are people out there striving for justice in an unfair world.
However, everyone has a business to run. News correspondents need credibility. Advertising space needs to be sold. Newspapers need to be read. These are all facts and nothing sells more than a good tragedy. Sometimes I question the motives behind running certain stories again and again and again though. Before the crisis in Japan, for example, Charlie Sheen was all anyone could talk about. This is hardly shattering news, yet the media’s constant coverage on the actor’s downfall had eyes all over the nation glued to the TV. News correspondents followed up on rumors. Experts gave their opinions on the Hollywood star’s crude behavior. Now Charlie Sheen nearly has 3 million followers on Twitter. As a culture, Americans are very emotional and the media knows to play to our emotions by telling us who should be rewarded with our sympathy. The media portrays Charlie Sheen as a man undeserving of our pity and yet sucks us into the drama just the same.
It is amazing what a difference one week can make. Last week I had lost faith in the media because, in my view, they were milking the tragedy of one man for the sake of TV ratings. This week, however, there was no need for sensationalism as Japan’s series of disasters were of such a magnitude, human drama had reached its peak. All the media had to do was uphold press coverage – viewers were guaranteed. I noticed though that the tone of the broadcasts changed significantly. It is one thing to foster drama about an actor; it’s another thing entirely to experience the horrifying loss of homes, lives, cities – everything – in a matter of hours. This is not the kind of tragedy people enjoy sensationalizing. This is the kind of unthinkable tragedy that should never happen, but all too cruelly does. It’s times like these that we are put in our place, reminded of what’s really important. Just look on Twitter and Facebook. These social network sites used to chitchat with friends have turned into invaluable sources of help, comfort, and knowledge for Japan.
Even though we may get caught up in the drama sometimes, I’m really proud of Americans’ unwavering ability to come together in a crisis and lend our support to victims worldwide.
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April 14th, 2011 at 4:22 am
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