Fox News Coverage of Earthquake in Haiti Scant, Big-Name Hosts Cover Other Stories

Why am I not surprised about the scant coverage of the earthquake in Haiti by Fox News, which prides itself on being "fair and balanced." Thankfully, I am not the only person who noticed this disturbing trend. Here's an excerpt from the Los Angeles Times:

LA Times: Fox drops the ball in Haiti coverage

Haiti's misery and suffering have been hard to watch, but they have offered confirmation of the invaluable contributions made in times of crisis by mainstream news outlets like CNN.

Some of the Earth's neediest people have been visited by an almost unbearable, added burden. And cable television's pioneering outlet has risen to the occasion, making sure the world sees the painful realities.
CNN's determination to stick with the news stands in stark contrast to its competitors, particularly Fox News, that in prime time have increasingly been committed to building their brands with political commentary over straight reporting.

When critics accuse Fox of being a tool of the conservative political movement, the company's executives counter that they deliver serious news during much of the day. But its prime-time headliners expose the values of the entire operation, and this week they've given abysmally short shrift to the biggest crisis in the world.

Why dwell on one of our closest hemispheric neighbors in its hour of dire need, when -- like both Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck -- you can conduct prolonged, frothy promotional interviews with Fox's newest contributor, Sarah Palin? Why focus on all that misery, if, like Hannity on Wednesday, you can engage conservative virago Michelle Malkin in a soaring conversation about the Obama administration's "culture of corruption."

Bill O'Reilly played his no-Haiti card too, managing a gripping discussion Wednesday with Bo Derek about the threat to the West's wild horses. Not to mention those whales being hunted by the Japanese in the Southern Ocean.
Cable operator MSNBC couldn't match CNN's boots-on-the-rubble immediacy either. NBC anchor Brian Williams, morning host Ann Curry and others were holed up at the Port-au-Prince airport Wednesday evening because of security concerns, before getting into the city Thursday to cover the story more directly.

But at least the cable affiliate did its best to tell the story from outside the epicenter. It dedicated more than two hours to the quake in its three major prime-time shows, compared with less than seven minutes presented by Fox's biggest stars Wednesday night, according to the liberal media watchdog, Media Matters.

It's shameful that Faux News would be so nonchalant and seemingly uncaring in their so-called "fair and balanced" coverage of the devastation in Haiti. There one saving grace will be Geraldo Rivera, who I am pretty sure will be on the ground in Haiti when his show broadcasts Saturday and Sunday. Who is the elitist now?