Courtney Anne Blogging

Media outlets are reducing the number of foreign correspondents they send across the globe because of economic setbacks, but they are also exploring new technologies to expand outreach efficiently.

After an earthquake hit Haiti last week, Internet communications jumped to show the world the stories from the disaster. News groups are sharing technology in order to expose more about Haiti’s current crisis. For example, The Guardian directs its readers to twitter sites started by The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. All three news sites have blogs, videos, photos, and stories about Haiti’s earthquake on their front pages.

Inside The Guardian’s blog this week, the author posts the most recent TV footage from CNN and hourly observations of relief efforts on the ground.

Some news outlets don’t report disasters as dramatically as others, which might match their organization’s theme in general: either more business-oriented or not yet connected with twitter technologies. The Financial Times' front page, for example, displays one sidebar link about Haiti and photos. Al Jazeera also does not display Haiti’s disaster like other popular media. Its Web site distributes world news evenly among six world’s regions. But a site user can see recent video coverage and read daily disaster updates.

Local newspaper Web sites like The Register Guard and The Seattle Times display links for people to help donate to Haiti’s disaster through Internet contributions or local organizations. In exposing Web users to local opportunities that serve international tragedy, new media applications are bridging the gap between local and global philanthropy. New media is therefore a call to action for disaster relief.

It helps aid agencies also learn about ways to help must faster when reporters send them updates about the level of need as events unravel. The New York Times reported this week that Containers to Clinics is trying to build instant health care in Haiti. Without immediate news releases of the disaster, the Times reported, the group would have deployed to another location.

In the past, print, television and radio have educated people about disasters with their respective mediums of expertise. These mediums lacked the ability for citizens to interact with the stories. Not only will Internet users have the most recent coverage and discussions over disasters with new media, but they can now interact with the event as if they are witnessing or helping in person.

# posted by CourtneyH @ 9:12 PM 0 Comments