Typhoon Haiyan: Ghoulish Media Wallows In Numbers Of Dead
THE Super Typhoon Haiyan has claimed many lives. In a disaster facts can be hard to come by. Yesterday, Tacloban city administrator Tecson Lim said that the death toll in the city alone “could go up to 10,000”. It’s a huge number. But it might be wrong. It might be that he wants the world to focus on his city and send massive help. Some news outlets pounce on the figure.
These headlines are all from the past 24 hours:
Euro News: “At least 100 dead as typhoon Haiyan leaves trail of destruction in Philippines”
LA Times: “The official death toll Sunday night remained at 151, but the relatively low number was a reflection of the difficulty in assessing the damages”
Evening Standard: “Typhoon Haiyan heads for Vietnam, leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless in the Philippines”
Hundreds become thousands:
CNN: “Death toll likely to exceed 1,000 after typhoon slams Philippines”
Australian News Network: “Vietnam is bracing for Super Typhoon Haiyan, which is believed to have killed more than 1,000 people in the Philippines”
Zero Hedge: “Supertyphoon Haiyan Leaves Over 1,200 Dead: The “Massive Destruction” In Photos And Videos”
And then it was in tens of thousands. Is that figure for the city, the province or the country?
Sky News: “Super Typhoon Haiyan: ‘10,000 Could Be Dead’”
The Scotsman: “Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines death toll hits 10,000”
The Guardian: “At least 10,000 killed in one province alone”
The Australian: “As many as 10,000 people are believed to have died in one Philippine city alone”
Strait Times: “Earlier reports said as many as 10,000 people are believed to have died in Tacloban city alone”
Such are the facts.
Posted: 11th, November 2013 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
