Friday, January 15, 2010

Why Not Fly in the First Responders FIRST?

As I was watching NBC Nightly News, something started to bother me. Brian Williams and at least four other reporters (including Ann Curry and Al Roker) are in Haiti right now. Over and over again, Williams commented on how difficult it is to get aid to the people. How it's so difficult to get into the city of Port-Au-Prince. How there are still no rescue to dogs to help search for people who may still be alive under the rubble. How the first American volunteer doctors had just arrived today.

"Where is all the help?" he asked. And all I could think was, All you reporters sure got there fast.

Let me be clear... I have no beef with Brian Williams. In fact, he's probably my favorite anchor. I've got no beef with any of the folks who have gone to Haiti to report on the disaster. They have a job to do and they are doing it admirably. But the reporters were arriving on Wednesday, just one day after the earthquake. Why were they able to get into the city before most of the rescue workers?

Perhaps I'm being a bit too simplistic. Perhaps I'm extremely naive and just don't get how things work. But why couldn't the search and rescue dogs, the volunteer doctors, etc. have been flown in with the reporters? It seems that the most important people to get on a plane bound for an earthquake ravaged city would be those who could physically help the injured and destitute.

 Below is the opening of tonight's NBC Nightly News.


2 comments:

Karen Lange said...

It does make you think, doesn't it?
Continuing to pray for the situation in Haiti.

Have a good weekend:)

Jennifer AlLee said...

Prayer is the one thing we can all do, and ultimately it has the most power.

As for the situation with getting people over there, I certainly don't have any answers. Just lots of questions.