60 Minutes: The Lost Children of Haiti

For my broadcast reporting class, one of our weekly assignments is to watch the newsmagazine 60 Minutes each week. We're supposed to point out our favorite segments and discuss why they are important: Is there compelling video or audio? Is there a compelling narrative? Is there an interesting way the reporter interviews?

I thought it'd be a good idea to start a feature for this format, since 60 Minutes is a great way to see how real journalism is done.

So for my first 60 Minutes feature, I give you "The Lost Children of Haiti."

The narrative is so compelling, I literally stopped what I was doing when I was watching it and just took it all in. It's heartbreaking, yet still very newsworthy. The way the story is told, the descriptions, the compelling characters, their stories... it all blends together in a way that shows why 60 Minutes is the best newsmagazine on television.



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"As Haitians Flee, the Dead Go Uncounted"- NYT 1/19/2010

This is an article by Damien Cave that ran in the New York Times on January 19. My journalism professor sent it to us to show the power of excellent writing in news, and so I wanted to pass it along. It really is a beautifully written story, and I think it conveys so much emotion. 


See it online here. 
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January 19, 2010

As Haitians Flee, the Dead Go Uncounted

By DAMIEN CAVE

TITANYEN, Haiti — A few miles north of the busted-down buildings in Port-au-Prince, up a hillside where cows graze, an empty hole awaits the dead. Rectangular, 20 feet deep and wide, 100 feet long, it is one of the newest mass graves, but there are many more.

Release

I literally felt my heart break today.

I've felt a terrible sense of loss since Tuesday when I learned about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. I'm not Haitian. I don't really have a lot of Haitian friends. But for some reason this disaster moved me immensely. From the minute I saw the pictures, I felt compelled to go there, not just as a journalist to report, but as a human being to help.

Every time I eat a meal, I think of the little girl who has none. Every time I take a shower, I think of the elderly man who hasn't had one in nearly a week. Every time I hug my mother, I think of the little boy who lost his entire family in a few seconds.

Today at church we sang a song about how there will be no weeping, no hurt or suffering in our final destination, heaven. It was already moving, and at the end a slideshow came up of all the different images I had seen earlier this week. No suffering. No dying. No sick or lame. I looked up and literally sobbed for those people who, right now, are dying or have witnessed some of the most horrific scenes you could ever imagine. I thought of all the suffering they have endured over the last few days, and thought about all that God has in store for us in eternity. And it was so liberating. I know there are amazing things in store for the next life, and they are so much better than all the pain and suffering this world has to offer.

I'm continually praying for all the people of Haiti and for those who might know of someone who was affected, and I hope that God would be with those who were left behind.