Forgetting Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico made headlines after Hurricane Maria hit the Island last September. Millions of Americans were surprised to learn that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Awareness of these facts, according to polls in the States, went from less than half to 76% within a month after the hurricane.
But new stories replaced Puerto Rico’s plight in the headlines. Puerto Rico struggled for months with lack of drinking water, lack of electricity, impassable roads, and unlivable homes. Finally, a Harvard study was released which claimed that deaths in Puerto Rico resulting largely from disruption of health care could have topped 5,000.
There were some headlines. The Washington Post, the New York Times, the Orlando Sentinel, NPR — many news outlets reported on the study. However, James Downie at the Washington Post checked a different metric, with startling results.
“When the Harvard study was released Tuesday, the big three cable news networks covered the story for 30 minutes — combined,” Downie reported. “They covered Roseanne Barr’s tweets and her show’s cancellation for more than 10 hours.”
Read more: https://www.puertoricoreport.com/forgetting-puerto-rico/#.W0HihdVKjRY
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