Some Natural Disaster Still Unnoticed by Media: Analyst

By Amie Fenia Arimbi Jakarta (Antara) - Some natural disasters of the world are unnoticed and unreported by the media, analyst from Kyoto University's School of Global Environmental Studies Rajib Shaw said here on Thursday. "One natural disaster may be covered extensively by the media, while another one may go unnoticed," Rajib said during the Media Summit on Climate Change, ICTs and Disaster Risk Reduction at Borobudur hotel in Central Jakarta. He gave the example of the typhoon that hit the Philippines in 2013, which caught the attention of not only journalists from the local media, but also the international press. Meanwhile, a drought in some parts of South Asia received little coverage from the media, Rajib noted. Rajib also criticized media houses for only reporting about a natural disaster without giving useful information for the people living in the areas that were affected, such as when the local school will reopen or which gas station was still functioning. Previously, Director of ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) Shamika Sirimanne said droughts are predicted to occur more often in the future but such disasters did not receive proper coverage from the media. Meanwhile, Secretary General to the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Javad Motttaghi expressed hope that the Media Summit on Climate Change, ICTs and Disaster Risk Reduction held today will contribute in improving media's role in reducing the impact of climate change and disasters on the people of the world. "The media summit is expected to formulate concrete projects in an attempt to put the media on the front line of efforts to fight against the impact of climate change and natural disasters," Mottaghi said. The Media Summit on Climate Change, ICTs and Disaster Risk Reduction currently on in Jakarta is hosted by Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information and the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). Many journalists, media experts, government officials, NGOs and international organizations from countries, including Indonesia, Japan, India, China, Philippines, Thailand, United States, Bangladesh and Vietnam, have participated in the summit. (*)