Should NGOs have fought for media attention in Haiti?

There was an interesting segment on Radio 4 last week about NGOs vying for media attention in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. The question was asked – Surely if you didn’t pay a pr officer you would have more money for aid work? And the answer from Brendan Gormley of the Disaster Emergency Committee– Yes but the media would continue to chase our workers for interviews, without someone there to co-ordinate them. He also spoke out in defence of NGOs having a media focus rather than just quietly going about their work.

While there is criticism of international aid agencies using their work as ‘pr stories’ and exploiting people as ‘case studies’ – do they have much choice? To raise the funds to do their work NGOs need to have a profile that attracts people to give them money. And the people who are giving money want to see where it's being spent. The most cost effective and successful way of doing this is through the media. Who are you more likely to give you money to – a big charity you have heard of like Oxfam or a lesser known organisation that does not have a voice in the media arena?