Media coverage of the devastating tsunami in South Asia and the outpouring of aid spurred by images of the catastrophe is testament to the power of journalism. Sadly, however, the attention paid to that tragic event and its aftermath is the exception, not the rule, in TV news. If you want proof, look below at Doctors Without Borders' list of the year's Top 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories. In a host of African countries, North Korea, Colombia, Chechnya and elsewhere, lives are being cruelly cut short by a staggering array of woes, but we remain largely ill-informed about them. Last year, the Big Three nightly newscasts didn't air significant reports on any of these regions, save Chechnya and North Korea—and the latter drew attention because of its nuclear threat, not its humanitarian crisis. But they did devote plenty of attention to Martha Stewart and Janet Jackson.
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