Disasters used to be local events that concerned only those directly affected. But in this era of trans-boundary satellite television, instantaneous telecommunications and the Internet, that has completely changed.

The Asian Tsunami once again demonstrated the power of the media -- in moving people and governments to donate and mobilise relief and long-term recovery support.

As Sir Arthur C Clarke, inventor of the communications satellite and long time resident of Sri Lanka , remarked: "The New Year dawned with the Global Family closely following the unfolding tragedy via satellite television and on the web. As the grim images from Aceh, Chennai, Galle and elsewhere replaced the traditional scenes of celebrations, I realized that it will soon be 60 years since I invented the communications satellite (in Wireless World, October 1945)."

TVE Asia Pacific, a regional leader in communicating sustainable development and social justice, is deeply interested in how the print and broadcast media cover disasters. Here are some recent links from our main website:

• In a feature article, TVE Asia Pacific Director Nalaka Gunawardene looks at how the 1.5 billion people in South Asian are turning disasters into opportunities, transforming victims into managers and radically altering disaster response.
  http://www.tveap.org/feat/0501tsu01.htm
  
  
• TVE Asia Pacific has stayed away from producing or distributing statistics-laden, doom and gloom mongering programming. While all our programmes are factually based, they focus instead on the human interest and human spirit that come out strongly in the wake of disasters. For a listing of different programme titles, look at:
  http://www.tveap.org/news/0501tsu03.htm