CNN has covered the Haiti story far more than any other cable news network – last week it was four times as much as Fox News or MSNBC. And it continues this week, with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper remaining the most high profile correspondent still reporting on the ground (he’s there all week, and has been since January 13). Mediaite spoke to Cooper today (instead of “Back From Haiti” it’s “Still In Haiti”) while he traveled from “mass graves” to the Hotel Montana, where people are “digging for Americans foreign nationals.”

CNN correspondent Soledad O’Brien returned from Haiti on Friday after several days of reporting about and following the story of a group of orphans from Haiti to Miami. And it wasn’t just on TV – O’Brien gave a full play-by-play on her Twitter feed in real time.

We spoke to O’Brien Friday afternoon for our “Back From Haiti” series, as she returned to New York – and to her family.

In Sunday’s public editor columns, both the New York Times and Washington Post ombudsman address the choice of their papers to run graphic photos of the death and destruction in Haiti. “It was hard to look at some of the pictures of suffering and death caused by the earthquake in Haiti — and impossible to turn away,” Clark Hoyt writes in the Times. And: “Post readers expected to see photos of unspeakable suffering,” Andrew Alexander adds. “But many were not prepared for days of graphic depictions of death.”

Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer returned from Haiti this week, after covering several aspects of this tragic story. His excellent reporting brought the images of Haiti into viewers homes, like many other correspondents on the array of news outlets. Earlier this week we spoke to his colleague Steve Harrigan – Mediaite spoke to Hemmer yesterday afternoon.

Right now, on umpteen channels across the dial — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, MTV, VH1, BET, HBO, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, Current and more — plus scores of websites via embeddable livestreams, the “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon is sending the message to a battered nation that the world cares, and will help. Donate at HopeForHaitiNow.org or text “GIVE” to 50555.

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.

Each generation has its history-changing, world-altering moment. Sometimes, we recognize the moment, grab it by the horns and make our society better, stronger. Oftentimes, we reach for the moment to reel it in, only to let it slip away.

CNN, like all the news networks, is devoting major resources to the Haiti earthquake tragedy and we’re seeing excellent reporting.

But through a series of Haiti-related occurrences, questions are being raised about the murky line between journalism and becoming part of the story.

The situation in Haiti has had an interesting effect on US cable news programming: the opinion-based programming that typically dominates the ratings suddenly feels less significant with video of bleeding children trapped under rubble are getting broadcast. As such, the past week has seen more news than opinion on most news outlets. But the partisan detractors have not taken a break, and predictably, Fox News has received criticism for its coverage in Haiti. Last night, Bill O’Reilly pushed back.

In a new Geraldo At Large segment focusing on the relief effort in Haiti, eternal pot-stirrer Ann Coulter jumped at the opportunity to say something controversial, as she’s wont to do. Responding to a general prompt about the emergency response — did we do more to help Haiti than disaster victims in the U.S.? — Coulter segued sloppily into her own criticism: “Can we get to the shame and embarrassment of Bill Clinton being involved in this bipartisan effort?”

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.

There have been so many powerful, heartbreaking moments in the four days of since the mainstream media converged on Haiti to cover the tragic earthquake that hit last week.

Here are videos from this weekend, one from each news network, that show the various sides of the incredibly sad story – and the fantastic work being done by journalists in the region.

Its almost been exactly a year since George W. Bush left the White House – a place he called “home” for eight full years. But recent events in Haiti appear to have transcended the once and future bipartisan landscape, bringing back the former president from his relative secluded and quiet, post-presidential life. Yesterday Bush was a guest on Meet the Press with Bill Clinton, and he frankly shared his feelings towards being back in the spotlight. Video of his candid quip after the jump.

For those who have wondered how news operations shift gears and plan coverage for disasters like the one in Haiti, National Public Radio’s Ombudsman Alicia Shepard has posted a detailed blow-by-blow of how NPR began its coverage of the Haiti earthquake, as well as its attempts to get reporters and producers on the ground in Port Au Prince.

On Wednesday night, while watching 360‘s earthquake coverage, I was taken aback by Anderson Cooper‘s stopping, in the middle of his reporting, to read a name off of a sheet of paper. (That report is at left.) He explained that it had been handed to him earlier that day, from a Haitian who wanted to [...]

On last night’s edition of The Rachel Maddow Show, the host focused on Haiti again, but took a moment for a bit of media navel-gazing, which is conveniently right up our alley. “Jon Stewart, on The Daily Show last night, dinged me,” Maddow said, referring to her previous show’s focus on the role of USAID and the State Department in Haitian relief efforts. Maddow took a mini-shot back: “I know that’s politics, but…no apologies for reporting.”

The horrible situation in Haiti continues to reveal a series of questionable comments in the cable news world. Next up? Fox News Neil Cavuto, who introduced his guest, retired Lt. Col. Bill Cowen thusly: “I know its apples and oranges, completely different situation — I always think that when we get knee-deep in middle of something that could be pretty violent, I think of Somalia — very diifferent circumstances — but we know what we can happen.”

Bravo, Craig Ferguson — for focusing on Haiti, for putting the late-night wars in perspective — and for calling out Rush Limbaugh in a brilliant, poetic way.

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.

There have been several moments from the Haiti disaster coverage that have stood out.

This one, from Steve Harrigan and Shepard Smith on Fox News this afternoon was one of those. It was brutally honest – and intensely sad.

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.