Some Statistics
25 07 2006Here are some stark statistics:
• Around 30 to 40 people are killed every day in the current Israel/Lebanon conflict.
• About 100 people are killed every day in the violence in Iraq.
• And 1,200 people are killed every day in the war in the Congo.
Which story will BBC News be leading with on the Ten O’Clock News tonight? The Israel/Lebanon conflict of course, as is pretty much every other news organisation in the world currently. Why is this the case. For an insight, have a read of what Craig Oliver, editor of the Ten O’Clock News has to say over on the brilliant BBC Editors Blog
And, we don’t hear much about the tsunami hit areas either. My friend who has just joined the Red Cross in Banda Aceh in Indonesia sent this email to me last week:
“The scale of the devastation in the area is overwhelming. Mass graves evident on the way from the airport. Vast areas of land, which have subsided. Areas where only foundations remain. Over a hundred and fifty thousand people died in the city of Aceh and surrounds and nearly half a million people have been displaced. A massive generator, which was anchored off shore was thrown three miles inland and is still there. It has become a tsunami tourist attraction, with associated photographs being taken next to it and make shift cafes set up beside it. Construction everywhere. There are over 200 NGOs here, with about 1500 expats or boolies, as they call them here. Even with all the money that’s been raised its going to take a long time to replace all the infrastructure. Some have moved into new homes and some are still in camps.”