Media: Pay attention to Pakistan's flood crisis

Imagine that one-fifth of the country is under water. About eight million people are dependent on aid, their shelters washed away into the river. About six million people are in desperate need of food, and 20 million people have been affected, according to the United Nations.

It is a disaster of epic proportions, and it is happening in Pakistan
right now. It has been a month since the Indus River became bloated with water after seasonal monsoon rains caused the river to overflow into the surrounding villages. 

The devastation has been incredible, and millions are still struggling in the desert heat to rebuild their lives. With such a catastrophe playing out, it is truly remarkable and tragic that many charities are finding it difficult to keep up with the demand.

Sure, Pakistan may be on the other side of the world, but where is the charitable giving seen in Indonesia during the 2004 tsunami?

There was $900 million of aid poured into the region after the devastation, but as Pakistan struggles to keep its head above water, it is bobbing with only about $25 million.

For starters, there has been very little broadcast about the floods in Pakistan here in the United States.

There was 10 times as much U.S. coverage of the Haiti earthquake as there has been of the floods in Pakistan, according to The Project for Excellence in Journalism.

With no stories for the American people to relate to, there is less incentive to contribute to the disaster.It is the media’s job to report about injustice, but while millions go without food and shelter in Pakistan, the American media has remained mute.

Where are the celebrities to call attention to this tragedy?The New York Times? Even The Drudge Report has failed to sensationalize the disaster.  

Sure, blame can be placed on other extenuating circumstances surrounding the catastrophe.

For example, there is evidence to suggest floods simply do not register with donors in the same way earthquakes do. After Haiti was split apart, the reports coming in claimed the death toll to be more than 200,000, while the Pakistani flood causalities have hovered around 2,000.

Historically, when the death toll isn’t staggering, the ordinary American citizen does not feel as much urgency to donate. This partially helps to explain the gap in charity contributions between the two disasters.

However, disaster experts are not eased by the low death count in
the region. The Pakistani floods not only claimed lives, it also washed away the homes and livelihoods of thousands of people.

Pakistan needs more aid, and that can only be accomplished by the media. It needs to bring the situation to life on American televisions and  
computer screens.