The Indian Ocean tsunami was one of the most devastating natural disasters of the modern age affecting hundreds of thousands of people from 40 countries. Some scholars saw the unprecedented “real time” news coverage and international outpouring of aid donations as examples of a cosmopolitan consciousness, while others maintain that in crisis the media look to our national leaders and institutions to act. The tsunami has also been described as a turning point for experienced television journalists, who in lieu of traditional notions of objectivity took on the role of crisis managers, and actively turned to the Internet as a means of helping people. From the vantage points of international communication, media globalization, and crisis journalism, this book addresses the links between national and transnational mediated spaces, crisis management, journalistic roles and ethics, and the mediation of distant suffering. Focusing on national and transnational news channels, it includes quantitative and qualitative text analyses, rhetorical analysis, journalist interviews, and focus group material.