"The news media's silence, particularly television news, is reprehensible. If we knew as much about Darfur as we do about Michael Jackson, we might be able to stop these things from continuing"
- Nicholas D. Kristof
About this Quote
This quote by Nicholas D. Kristof is a powerful declaration about the absence of coverage of the Darfur crisis by the news media, especially television news. He is criticizing the media for not providing enough attention to the atrocities taking place in Darfur, and rather concentrating on unimportant matters such as Michael Jackson. He is suggesting that if the media provided the same amount of attention to Darfur as they do to Michael Jackson, then the general public would be more knowledgeable about the circumstance and could do something about it to stop it. This quote highlights the power of the media to form popular opinion and the responsibility of the media to report on essential concerns. It is a call to action for the media to take a more active function in notifying the public about the atrocities happening in Darfur.
"Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America - not on the battlefields of Vietnam"
"The printed page conveys information and commitment, and requires active involvement. Television conveys emotion and experience, and it's very limited in what it can do logically. It's an existential experience - there and then gone"
