Among the many questions this thought provoking quotation raises are: who are the people whose stories we tell, what aspects of their stories do we choose to highlight, when and where do we look for stories, how do we tell the stories we find, and why do we tell some stories but not others? More specifically, now, as beachcombers on the many shores devastated by the recent tsunamis, whose experience, knowledge and wisdom do we draw upon to tell the many tales waiting to be told? Which are the stories that have remained untold despite the carpet coverage given to the disaster and its immediate aftermath?

Early critiques of media coverage in the wake of the tsunami tragedy of 26 December and beyond focused primarily on the widespread use of extremely graphic images of the dead and injured, especially on television, in contrast to the discretion exercized by the international media during the 9/11 disaster in the US, suggesting double standards with regard to the dignity and privacy of human beings in the so-called First and Third Worlds.