Jamaican Pastor Garnet Roper Decries CNN's Coverage of Dead Bodies in Haiti, Says 911 Coverage Showed no Bodies

Jamaican Pastor Garnet Roper decries CNN's coverage of the dead in Haiti. Says "thousands died in 911, but we never saw a body."

Are you suffering from Haiti earthquake burnout from the constant media coverage? Well, Jamaican pastor Garnet Roper is protesting aspects of CNN's coverage on the earthquake ravaged island nation. According to Caribbean Net News, Roper, who heads the Portmore Missionary Church in St. Catherine, Jamaica, appealed to his congregation to publicly register their displeasure with CNN’s extensive coverage of those who died in last Tuesday’s earthquake on the their website. I found the images of all those dead bodies shocking and gut-wrenching, but I understood why they were portrayed in the aftermath of the earthquake so that viewers understood the gravity of the situation. In the same vein, the government of Haiti needs to do a better job of disposing of the remains of the decedents. We should not see an arm or a leg sticking out of a mound of dirt. That is barbaric, inhumane and to put it simply, a downright disgrace. I might add, that had it not been for CNN and Anderson Cooper we would never have seen these deplorable actions.

Reverend Roper contends that the coverage was too much. “Thousands died in 911, yet we never saw those bodies! It’s wrong! It is cruel and it must stop!” he declared. Alas, many of the bodies of the dead in the World Trade Center were reduced to ashes and there was nothing to see. The comparison is an unfair one, given that fact.

“It is disturbing for those images to be constantly bombarding us!” Reverend Roper said at the beginning of a special ceremony to mark Portmore Missionary Preparatory School’s 34th year. The school is a private primary educational facility operated by the church. “I don’t know how many of you can watch it for more than 10 minutes. But I have to turn if off after a few minutes.” His comments received nods and murmurs of acknowledgement from members of the congregation. “Go on their website! That same website that they are asking people to register missing relatives and let them know how you feel,” he continued. “It is cruel and robs those people of the final dignity that should be accorded in death.” Source: Caribbean Net News

Haiti has been dealt on unspeakable and unfathomable blow. Nothing of this magnitude has occurred in our backyard in recent years, so I understand the rush to cover it thoroughly. I would also encourage Pastor Roper to also speak out about the criminals raping women and children in the tent city in Port-au-Prince and the ever present threat of child-trafficking. I would also encourage him to address the issue of the Haitian government poor disposal of the bodies of the deceased. I have never in my life seen such little regard for the dead as I have seen in Haiti. The bodies are being disposed like garbage and many just dumped on the ground. The stench of death is one that can never be forgotten and I can well imagine the trauma even the journalists are experiencing. We can't just sweep the horrific events in Haiti under a rug and wish it would go away.

The latest figures from the European Union has estimated that the earthquake has killed 200,000 people injured 250,000 and has left 1.5 million homeless.

Photo credit: Pastor Garnet Roper, Caribbean Net News