Journalists and Weblogs Tell of Tsunami Tragedy

Posted on December 31, 2004

This year was already labeled the Year of the Blog and as 2004 ends in sadness and tragedy with the Tsunami disaster, blogs have again proved their usefulness. Weblogs from remote areas helped tell the initial story of what has proved to be a staggering tale of loss from tourists lost at sea to South Asian towns vaporized by the massive surge and waves generated by the powerful 9.0 earthquake. A recent BBC article describes some of the blogs that have covered the events from a local perspective like the blog Dogs Without Borders, edited by Indian writer Rohit Gupta, which posted firsthand early accounts of the disaster like, "1,600 bodies washed up on a shore, and people burying, and burying and burying them. People digging holes with their hands." and "She grabbed a tree with one hand and her friend with the other. She says she watched the water pull her friend away."

The Guardian reports that blogs are also aiding in the recovery effort. The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog (SEA-EAT blog), has been helping to track aid and point people to where they can make donations and offer personal assistance. Media outlets like CNN, MSNBC and the BBC have also quickly jumped on the story with journalists live on the scene and breathtaking footage of the tragedy. Anderson Cooper, who hosts 360 Degrees on CNN, has done an exceptionally good job and CNN has expanded his show from one hour to two hours to cover the story. Cooper is familiar with the area having traveled extensively through South Asia in his early journalist days.