[joosters]

I hate the body counts in disaster news coverage. Why do we spend so long speculating on whether it is 10,000 dead or 15,000 dead? It doesn't matter to the vast majority of viewers, yet we get constant updates and speculation. It's just morbid. Even to those who have loved ones affected, the count is irrelevant. It's like we feel compelled to measure the awfulness of each disaster in order to rank and compare them. Please stop! (And if you put 'there are fears that the death toll could rise' in a news report, you are both padding out your story and revelling in the death counts. Again, just stop.)

[ssully]

I think it's just a way people can relate to a disaster. It's incredibly difficult to comprehend the damage of an event like this. Reducing it down to the number of lives lost, or money in damage adds context that people can understand. Though I will say even that is imperfect, because understanding what 1000+ lives lost actually means is pretty difficult.

Either way it's an imperfect solution, but one that can get a quick point across to people that this is a horrible situation.

[brudgers]

24 hour news stations just fill the dead air with whatever they can find. Speculation on body count is less absurd than covering how the story is trending on Twitter and comments posted on the news outlet website.

The spectacule of disaster is why people stay tuned in through pitches for Cialis and Hyundai and eTrade. News of disaster on the other side of the world is naught but infotainment after five minutes a day for anyone without a professional interest or actively working toward assistance.

Just turn off the TV.

[sanmon3186]

The count has some meaning for post disaster preparedness

[joosters]

Absolutely, but that count doesn't and won't be sourced from a 24 hour news channel, newspaper or shoddy news website.

Likewise, in the grand scheme of things, it is important to know the magnitude of the human cost of a disaster. But not anywhere near a minute-by-minute basis. ("We're hearing that the death count has risen to 12"... and so on).

[coldtea]

>I hate the body counts in disaster news coverage. Why do we spend so long speculating on whether it is 10,000 dead or 15,000 dead? It doesn't matter to the vast majority of viewers, yet we get constant updates and speculation.

Does the very disaster coverage matter to the vast majority of viewers?