Over at Mother Jones they had a tough decision for their January/February issue. They had two big stories inside, one on the still slow-to-arrive relief in Haiti, the other on the marijuana business and the push for legalization. They liked both articles, but which one to put on the cover; the depression one or the fun one? In the end, they chose both (kind of) and have written an interesting article detailing why.

It sounds like the title of an obscure Huffington Post column, but it’s today’s top story on CNN.com: “Is the Earth Striking Back?” Author Alan Weisman warns that the side effects of democracy in America are causing the earth to “strike back” at humanity with earthquakes and volcanos. Suddenly, global warming is the least of our problems.

Armed with only one mass communications outlet, Rush Limbaugh has to put in that extra mile to keep up with radio-TV-book triple threats like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. After a brief period of peace from his program, he dove straight back into what he does best by turning a valid criticism of the United Nations into an all-out attack on “the Haiti relief effort”– all of it.

MA Sen. Scott Brown and his daughter Ayla may be the most masterful self-promoters in America this side of Snooki and The Situation. In a move perfectly in sync with the happy-go-lucky everyman character he created for himself on the campaign trail, Brown had proposed to Pres. Barack Obama in his victory speech that he could defeat him in a two-on-two basketball game with college basketball star Ayla on his side. Now, Politico reports the Brown family is claiming they are “serious” about the challenge, and have found a good reason to stage the event: helping out Haiti.

Big Journalism correspondents usually stick to pointing out often legitimate spin against the right wing in the mainstream media, but Archy Cary went one step further to analyze the well-documented media bias against victims of natural and political disasters.

I long ago lost track of the number of times that I’ve described something, or someone, as sounding like something you’d read in the The Onion, such has been the state of the news cycle since June (remember the Beer Summit?). However, what you are about to read actually is from the Onion. It is a fake* op-ed piece penned by an imaginary* Rush Limbaugh.

The conventional wisdom about American news audiences is they don’t care nearly as much about international news as teh rest of the world. There have been studies that aimed to prove this point.

But the disaster coverage in Haiti has shown in this particular case, the conventional wisdom doesn’t apply. American audiences, on broadcast and cable news, are tuning in in large numbers.

In the largest effort to date to provide information on a major news event, Facebook has tried to mobilize users–often derided as “slacktivists“–to focus on Haiti relief efforts and has gotten some star power to help out.

Eight days after the earthquake that struck Haiti things appear to be getting worse not better for suffering and traumatized Haitians. Anderson Cooper’s frustration was particularly apparent last night as he discussed the situation with a seemingly overwhelmed Sanjay Gupta: “They are giving Motrin to people who have had their limbs amputated!”

Is the media part of the problem where Haiti coverage is concerned? Some people are worried that the last week’s deluge of journalists is not only resulting in redundant stories, but is hampering the arrival of aid, and straining the ultra frail infrastructure. To which we say, seriously?

Yesterday, Matt Taibbi took the sort of scorching rhetoric he usually levels at Tom Friedman and directed it elsewhere on the NYT op-ed page. Namely, David Brooks. Taibbi provided his own ‘translation’ of Brooks’ recent column on Haiti. Translation: It’s ain’t pretty.

Fox News reporter Steve Harrigan has covered the war in Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina. But of the Haiti devastation, he calls it “a mini-Rwanda.”

Mediaite spoke to Harrigan by phone today, hours after he delivered another heart-wrenching report.

Rick Sanchez debuted his new show on CNN today called “Rick’s List,” loosely based around the ways one can “easily curating online comments around a topic, event or interest,” or so says the Rick Sanchez blog. One of the features on the new show is called “The List U Don’t Want To Be On.” The first entry? Actor Danny Glover, because he theorized somehow that global warming was to blame for the earthquake. Yup. He said that.

Well if you thought Rush Limbaugh could not get any more disgusting, or heartless, or offensive you would be wrong. There is, apparently, plenty more where that came from.

Today, in the face of the increasing desperation of Haitians, Limbaugh wanted to know whether Haitian patients will also have to appear before ‘death panels’ in order to receive aid.

Admittedly, one does not necessarily turn to the cover of the New York Post for hard news per se. But still. The paper which devoted 20 consecutive covers to Tiger Woods has thus far made space for the Haiti disaster once this week.

How we donate now! Oy. While the country is reaching into their pockets (and cell phones) and donating in record amounts to the Haiti relief effort the New York Times sent out this awkward email yesterday informing its staff it would not be ponying up for their generosity.

Get ready. This is the sort of storyline we can probably expect to see emerging in the next few weeks. Since Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti a number of media folks on the right have been taken to task for questioning how much financial help the U.S. should be dolling out to Haiti, a “corruption” ravaged country. It’s a question that may arise with more frequency in the days ahead.

I think this can be considered the magazine coup of the decade — thus far. Newsweek has announced that President Obama will pen next week’s cover story on Haiti for the magazine. Without question this is a huge score for Newsweek, which has spent a great deal of time and money overhauling itself in the last six months. According to a report in the WSJ all Newsweek editor Jon Meacham had to do was ask.

The tragedy and devastation unfolding in Haiti has brought everyone together. The constant bickering and finger-pointing of opinion journalism seems both irrelevant and inappropriate in the face the unfolding disaster. Except, as Jon Stewart points out not everyone has risen above the partisan fray. Last night, Stewart called out some of his favorite targets: Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, and of course, Rachel Maddow. Whaaaaa?

Television people are an extremely cynical type. They will see through the biggest line of BS, mostly because its familiar territory. But the story unfolding in Haiti has transcended skepticism – the stories and imagery of destruction and destroyed families have brought the cable news world news to its knees. And when video of sick or troubled child appears before a parent, television standards of dispassionate reporting no longer apply. Case in point? Campbell Brown, mother.

Much has been written on this site about the despicable comments of Pat Robertson (who said that the Haiti earthquake was the result of a pact with Satan) and Rush Limbaugh (who, among other things, urged his listeners not to donate to relief efforts), both of which came up at today’s White House press briefing. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’ responses were properly calibrated to the importance of these men at a time such as this.

As the carnage in Haiti rightly dominates the news, the seeming cliche´ that this “puts it all in perspective” really can’t be made enough. The horrified shame that Rachel Maddow displayed at the idea that the Haitian ambassador might think that Pat Robertson speaks for all Americans was remarkable. A smaller such moment, on last night’s Countdown, spoke volumes about the triviality of the current political media.

When Rush Limbaugh was hospitalized with chest pains, his fate uncertain, Rachel Maddow, myself, and many others urged transcendence of partisan rancor as a naturally decent response. Now, barely 2 weeks later, Limbaugh is using the heartrending tragedy of the Haitian earthquake to score points against President Obama, and even urges people not to donate to the relief effort. This is shockingly low, even for Limbaugh.

The power and simplicity of social media has enabled Americans to stay informed and involved like never before — and to effect some real change. Given the tragedy in Haiti, it seems a bit trite to focus on technology in the United States, but the fact remains that the tools we have now are unlike anything we’ve ever had, and they are letting distant observers actually do something to help.

If you are a watcher of the nightly network newscasts you probably noticed that the all the networks had got their teams on the ground in Haiti in order to be able to broadcast live from there last night. It was no easy feat. The trip, which Anderson Cooper was the first to make, had media orgs flying by the seat of their pants, sometimes almost literally.