Saving Kiki, Saving Hope

John Humphrys, at London's Daily Mail, takes a step back from the sensationalism of the telegenic rescue of Kiki, the beautiful boy, rescued in Haiti, whose wide arms and wide smile are unforgettable. See, "Kiki, the Icon of Hope in the Rubble":

No Hollywood director could have improved on the scene that was splashed across the pages of this and just about every other newspaper 24 hours ago.

No reader could have turned the page without pausing, smiling, perhaps even shedding a tear.

That one photograph summed up the horror and - yes - the hope of what has befallen Haiti.

Check the link for the rest. As Humphrys notes:

If there is one image that stays in our minds when the world's attention has moved on from Haiti it will surely be this one. But why?

Why should it not be the picture of another Haitian child who also survived the earthquake?

Well, for one thing everybody's looking for the heroic angle, and the marketable one as well. And it's definitely a professional accomplishment as well (see the Times of London, "Photographer Matthew McDermott Describes Moment of Haitian Boy’s Rescue.") But I hate to see too many corks popped when there's still so much pain.

In any case, compare and contrast the same story as told by CNN in New York and a Kenyan network in Africa. We want everyone to be safe, and God save the Haitian people. But lets continue with, when we can, the humble restraint in the American press:

More from the Daily Mail, "Haiti in Hope and Despair: The Boy Craving a Hug After a Week Buried Alive and the Schoolgirl Killed by Police for Looting."