# If there's an earthquake in Iran and 300 people die, does the US hear it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 13, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381 "2012-08-13T14:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/1 "2012-08-13T14:56:59Z")
Well, I certainly had no idea. That is, until an Iranian-American friend/co-worker of mine called to chat this morning, and also to share her frustration that it wasn’t covered on the news. She didn’t find out until some family in Iran called. I also didn’t see anything about it, even though I wasn’t exactly glued to the news all weekend…I would still expect a disaster like this to pop up on my radar. I was able to find [an article](http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/13/13255305-report-most-of-306-people-killed-by-iran-earthquakes-are-women-children#comments) about it easily enough, but just scanning newd pages’ (CNN, MSNBC, etc.) “World” sections, I didn’t find anything. My friend’s assertion is that if this had been another country…Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Borneo…_anywhere_…it would have been covered prominently. I hate to say that I think she’s correct. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/2 "2012-08-13T15:26:54Z")
I’m not glued to the news either, but I heard about it. It’s been covered on NPR, and last night it was on one of the national TV news shows, I don’t remember which network. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/3 "2012-08-13T15:33:10Z")
It’s been reasonably prominent on the BBC, CBC, etc, though not as prominent as I would haver thought. I’ve found out much more through Facebook. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/4 "2012-08-13T15:50:32Z")
I’ve been hearing it during the news broadcasts on WGN, NBC, and CBS here in the US, although it wasn’t featured as prominently as some past natural disasters. I could see someone missing it if they weren’t paying that much attention. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/5 "2012-08-13T16:00:02Z")
Well, it appears that we were just not paying attention…I will excuse myself because I was visiting family over the weekend, but I’ll tell my friend that glancing at the TV at the bar does not count as ‘watching the news.’ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/6 "2012-08-13T17:17:14Z")
I’m more interested in the official Iranian coverage. When there was an earthquake in the US, Iran said it was divine punishment for the US being a sinful country, or words to that effect. How is the government of Iran responding when divine retribution is directed its own way? ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/7 "2012-08-15T06:25:55Z")
I was interested to see if the US would offer assistance considering the sanctions and all. Apparently (according to Wiki) the US said they were prepared to offer assistance although it wouldn’t surprise me if Iran’s response was to say piss up a rope, we don’t want your spies. Has a case of espionage ever been disguised as disaster relief? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/8 "2012-08-15T06:48:05Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > I was interested to see if the US would offer assistance considering the sanctions and all. Apparently (according to Wiki) the US said they were prepared to offer assistance although it wouldn’t surprise me if Iran’s response was to say piss up a rope, we don’t want your spies. The Iranian government initially said it did need outside aid but is now saying the damage was larger than it realized and is now requesting it. The United States has offered emergency aid. Iran did not not specifically mention the United States but has said it will accept aid from all sources that offer it. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/9 "2012-08-15T06:55:50Z")
E-gold was one of the few online currency sites people in Iran could sign up for, then the US government forced the owner to seize and close all accounts with an Iran address. I thought that was the shittiest thing imagineable, and angry Iranian internet users complained online. That was probably the best way to encourage young technically literate Iranians to hate the USA. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/10 "2012-08-16T15:17:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The Iranian government initially said it did need outside aid but is now saying the damage was larger than it realized and is now requesting it. The United States has offered emergency aid. Iran did not not specifically mention the United States but has said it will accept aid from all sources that offer it. Can you give me some additional light at this point? This thread is the first I’ve heard of the quake, but, I’m confused/puzzled. OK, an earthquake isn’t good, by any means, but one that kills 300 shouldn’t be that hard for any government to handle, even one like Pago-Pago, or whatever. Even if it was 3000, would Iran be needing/wanting help? Something doesn’t add up, here. (Not suspicious of Iran, just unenlightened at this stage.) ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/11 "2012-08-16T15:18:45Z")
> [@grude](#): > > E-gold was one of the few online currency sites people in Iran could sign up for, then the US government forced the owner to seize and close all accounts with an Iran address. > > I thought that was the shittiest thing imagineable, and angry Iranian internet users complained online. > > That was probably the best way to encourage young technically literate Iranians to hate the USA. No, I think that they can hate us quite well on their own. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/12 "2012-08-16T15:21:17Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I was able to find [an article](http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/13/13255305-report-most-of-306-people-killed-by-iran-earthquakes-are-women-children#comments) about it easily enough, but just scanning newd pages’ (CNN, MSNBC, etc.) “World” sections, I didn’t find anything. I couldn’t find anything, either – my workplace blocks newd pages 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/13 "2012-08-16T15:26:45Z")
I read it in an article in a printed newspaper several days ago - - Monday or Tuesday I think. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/14 "2012-08-16T15:57:22Z")
300 dead is a pretty trivial tragedy as these things go. Not to the dead people or their families, of course, but, but for being located in Iran, it wouldn’t be newsworthy. It’s hardly even a natural disaster. It’s more of a natural sad-thing-I-wish-hadn’t-happened-but-oh-well. The 2003 quake in Iran killed 26,000 people. I mean, looking at earthquakes, all of the top 50 most fatal earthquakes killed more than ten thousand people. > **[List of natural disasters by death toll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters_by_death_toll#Ten_deadliest_natural_disasters)** > > A natural disaster is a sudden event that always causes widespread destruction, major collateral damage, or loss of life, brought about by forces other than the acts of human beings. A natural disaster might be caused by earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruption, landslide, hurricanes, etc. To be classified as a disaster, it will have profound environmental effects and/or human loss and frequently causes financial loss. > This list takes into account only the highest estimated death toll for eac... ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/15 "2012-08-18T10:54:33Z")
To address the o.p. a journo mate said that there was an actual formula for the reporting of tragedies and the prominence of the reporting. This isn’t it but it was along the lines of " If one local person is killed in a R.T.A. at the end of your road, then that will be more promimently headlined, then 100 people dying in floods in Bangla Desh or whatever". And I’ve no doubt this sort of formula is pretty universal, whatever part of the world you’re in. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-theres-an-earthquake-in-iran-and-300-people-die-does-the-us-hear-it/631381/16 "2012-08-18T12:18:48Z")
American living in Japan. I heard about it, but i can’t recall where I heard it from. Could have been Facebook, a web forum, online news, or even catching the news on TV. And yeah, it sounds harsh, but given that “only” 300 people died in this earthquake, it’s just not newsworthy when you compare it to, say, the Tohoku earthquake last year, where over 15,000 people died. From a purely political standpoint, I could see how the US could stand to gain good-will wise from making a public show of support and assistance to a country as strategically placed as Iran, regardless of the fact that our two governments are not on best terms. I could also see the government taking the pragmatic approach of letting the Red Cross hand the direct relief efforts, and keeping one step removed.