Anderson Cooper Starting To Lose His Temper Over Lack Of Aid In Haiti

video

by Glynnis MacNicol | 9:12 am, January 21st, 2010

» 8 comments

Eight days after the earthquake that struck Haiti things appear to be getting worse not better for suffering and traumatized Haitians. The desperately needed aid is simply not getting through and one doesn’t have to look far to see the anger and frustration over the lack of help — and the inability to offer help — taking it’s toll on the journalists there. The Independent’s Guy Adams has made no attempt to hide his frustration with the lack of apparent aid since landing in Haiti last week, and it appears even the patience (and objectivity) of CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who was the first journo to land there, and Sanjay Gupta are wearing thin.

Cooper’s frustration was particularly apparent last night as he discussed with a seemingly overwhelmed Gupta the lack of follow-up care for patients who had been rescued and undergone surgery, and who were now dying due to untended complications. “They are giving Motrin to people who have had their limbs amputated!” Cooper also vehemently debunked the security scare stories coming out of the country saying that he has never felt threatened and he thinks the extra security details people are traveling with may be part of what’s slowing down the aid. Video below:

Meanwhile, NPR has joined the slowly growing chorus of media critics questioning the presence of celebrity doctors in Haiti.

While many viewers may cheer, that’s giving pause to some media and medical ethicists, who say it can distort both the journalism absorbed in the U.S. and the care delivered in Haiti.

“What disturbs me about the media doctors is that they are basically pulling telegenic people out of the queue and giving them exceptional resources,” says Dr. Steven Miles, a medical professor and bioethicist at the University of Minnesota.

The doctors are wrestling with the same questions, however. This from NBC’s Nancy Snyderman:

“I didn’t sleep at all the first night I was here wrestling with just that,” Snyderman tells NPR by phone from Haiti. “I’m usually very careful in the United States that when I’m in the hospital, my journalism hat is not on … and I’m very cognizant of the fact that here, the lines are terribly blurred.”

She says that she has been asking herself these questions each day: “What is my job? Where do I make the biggest difference? Or should I try to do both? Do I plug as many holes as I can at the moment and then do I scramble back to tell the stories to 6 million people?”

Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta video after the jump.

Pages: 1 2

anderson cooper, CNN, David Folkenflik, haiti earthquake, nancy snyderman, NPR, Sanjay Gupta

The Real Royal King

I seem to recall Anderson played a key role in informing all of us of the Bush Administration’s ineptitude in New Orleans. That had some role, I am sure, in making people begin to demand action. While that is yellow journalism of sorts, it was valuable to us. I should note that Shepherd played a similarly effective role, and, in his case, in face of a barrage of criticism from the Bush apologists at FOX and the rightist FOX base. In some ways, he is the bigger hero of the two. There is really not as much they can do in Haiti, however. At least not with quick, tangible results. The government, such as it was, seems to have wholly ceased to function, and the infrastructure doesn’t support the type of assistance needed. The impeccable Medecins Sans Frontieres can’t even get additional personnel and supplies in. I hope, as time passes, these journalists don’t let Haiti get back-burnered, and that we can all participate in a debriefing/decompression experience when the time comes. We have much to learn from these fine folks.
sarainitaly

Not placing blame, but I was wondering if one of the problems is that when this initially hit, planes started flying in all kinds of supplies/donations, and the airport became overrun with things that weren’t *essential*.

In hindsight i wonder if they (whoever *they* was in the first couple of days) should have only flown in water, food and gas. They could have immediately started distributing essential water and food, and then next, medical supplies and doctors, and then tents, etc. afterwards…

I was just wondering if the airport was so bogged down with crates and crates and crates of all kinds of things it is overwhelming.

From what it sounds like, they have all kinds of supplies, just no way to get them to the people. Also, this disaster is HUGE – affecting, what? like over 2M people? It sounds like an almost impossible job.

I keep saying, though, I don’t know why they weren’t doing more helicopter drops of food and water. Seems like Cuba, DR, and the US could have began water/food drops almost immediately. Some of the problems coming out of Haiti seem to be similar to those in NO.
The Real Royal King

My understanding, Sara N. Italy, is that the airport was, understandably shut down. There was some significant damage to the infrastructure. The Haitians opened up shortly, and made rather a mess of things. They asked the US to temporarily operate it. I think it is less a question of over-supply than it is lack of operating equipment and capacity due to damage.
sarainitaly

that sounds reasonable.

why the lack of heli-drops? poor people! i can’t imagine.
blueblogger

sarainitaly I heard because of how the people would riot to get to the supplies JUST dropped out of nowhere. I can imagine those results.
TfT

Let’s be fair — it’s Obama’s fault. (Couldn’t resist, given the absurdities of MSM after Katrina blaming Bush for everything while ignoring the incompetence of Blanco and Nagin). Turn about is fair play.

I don’t recall the US aid after the tsunami having these kind of difficulties, but will stand corrected if it was the case.
The Real Royal King

Actually, TfT, there were many problems in the initial stages. In fact, US emergency ships took hours and hours to load due to equipment, logistics and manpower problems in the US. The Brits were loaded and sailing days before we even set sail. I don’t know if that factored into our decision to airlift this time or not. If we had sailed in immediately after the disaster, we would be there, unloaded and helping. I’m not being critical. It could be we are doing the very best we can. I’m just not sure why this option was not explored prior to all of the airlifts.
http://lauriebethsgrotto.wordpress.com Laurie Beth

@ The Real Royal King: “While that is yellow journalism of sorts, it was valuable to us.”

I have to respectfully disagree with you there–that phrase implies that the truth is either being exaggerated or completely ignored in favor of melodrama. I don’t believe that Mr. Cooper and Mr. Smith were guilty of that. Sometimes the truth *is* that dramatic, as it was during Katrina and as it is now in Haiti.