“Try saying it out loud if you don’t follow”

I just did. Classic.:D

He got “chucked into prison” for manslaughter. It wasn’t necessary to kill anyone. No-one has the right to mete out that sort of “justice”.

You are right, of course, but I wonder what some of us might have done if provoked that far.

As I said,out of sight,out of mind.
It’s easy to see that there’s been an earthquake/flood/cyclone or whatever natural disaster somewhere remote,say oh that’s terrible and do nothing .
It’s not until you actually see the people affected and hear their stories that you might feel like doing something.
You said yourself,interviews with desperate,starving survivors.That’s what really brings it home,isn’t it ?
I think news reporters are just as vital as any of the other aid services.

To some extent, that is true, although the reality is that the aid from donors is minute when compared to governmental aid. But let us steer a middle course and suggest it would make sense, in these exceptional circumstances for the news media to agree that one or two global organisations cover the reporting – like Reuters and Sky, perhaps.

Then we would still get the pictures you want but the destitute country would not be overun with news hounds competing for the best stories and absorbing valuable and scarce resources on the ground.

As for out of sight, out of mind. Doesn’t that happen all the time? Everyone is galvanised by a catastrophe for a few days or weeks and then the media get bored and little more news is forthcoming but the po[pulation affected have to live with the ramifications of the disaster for months and years, perhaps.

News is a fickle beast in the 21st century, such is the publics’ insatiable demand for new news all the time.

Hopefully you are fully aware that the above statement stands for any currency. So in itself re the Euro it is pretty meaningless.

Not really because in the case of sovereign nations with their sovereign banks they are in control in as much as markets allow. As far as the Euro is concerned, as we are now seeing all too clearly, the sovereign members of the EMU have NO control of their fiscal policies.

A humanitarian disaster on this scale and you’re proposing a complete news blackout ?

If it improves the chances of delivering aid and saving lives, then yes, of course. The problem is that we demand 24 hour news from everywhere. Well, perhaps there are some occasions when news has to take a lower than top priority, which is not what seems to be the case in Haiti today.

Oh I am fully aware of that. Should we not be debating that, instead of accusing this chap of being immature?

Well it has already reared its head on a few other threads – it will never go away, whereas this idiot’s folly is now history – until the next time!

Good grief – talk about walking on broken glass.:( We must get back to the traditional system which teaches right and wrong and punishes a crime. Perhaps some children are no longer taught right from wrong. They certainly are round my way!