THursday Idea blog // the hero narrative in mass media // the media in haiti part 1

the hero narrative in mass media serves not only to drive up ratings but to advance the clout and admiration of reporters. One easy example of the hero narrative at work in popular media is the public persona and television journalism work of CNN's Anderson Cooper. Looking at the recent incident in which Cooper saved a young boy after the boy had been hit with a piece of concrete thrown from a roof top during a looting spree in Haiti.

CNN video of the incident is here and gawker analysis of the CNN media coverage in general is found here as well as a collection of videos from the cnn broadcasts
http://gawker.com/5451459/anderson-cooper-saves-boy-as-cnns-haiti-coverage-reaches-strange-apotheosis

From the gawker article its clear to see i'm to the only one who finds something a little off about the media coverage, to use their words:

"But things got weird tonight as the news/newsmaker barrier was dramatically breached.

On AC360, Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta played a team of roving superhero reporters, covering the news but only after saving everyone's lives. (Imagine if somebody could be Clark Kent and Superman at the same time.) Here's a gripping report from Anderson "AC" Cooper on looting, which ends in him picking up a bloodied kid and dragging him to safety."

The idea of the heroic foreign correspondent is one that has a long history in modern media. From George Orwell's account of the spanish civil war in "Homage to Catalonia" up to Anderson Cooper's "Dispatches from the Edge" which cover's his early life in contrast to covering the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 as well as armed conflicts in Africa and Hurricane Katrina. The image of the hero reporter is supported by the ongoing narratives like those of CNN coverage in the current Haiti crisis. As an easy case study is the presentation of Dr. Sanja Gupta 's story (the video is also on the above gawker post). the incident in question being that there were no qualified neuro-surgeons around and Dr. Gupta was called to attend to a young girl who had a shrapnel injury to the head. The question of presentation comes about when the story is delivered in conversation fashion over a video of Dr. Gupta scrubbing in and performing surgery. What is the news value of this story? why when asked to perform a medical task which required his pick up by helicopter did the cameras accompany him?

The main question that i feel arrises from the situations being presented and the manner in which they are presented is one of authenticity. When presented with a catastrophe, in which the death toll continues to climb well into the hundred thousands now why are the news stories focused so frequently on the exploits of the reporters sent to tell the larger story?