Haiti Mon Amour

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Fox News Declines Showing Telethon

By Roger Catlin on January 24, 2010 2:26 AM

Nearly 40 networks showed solidarity in showing the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon, raising money for relief for the nation devastated by an earthquake. Entertainment networks joined with news networks in presenting the two-hour event, including CNN, whose Anderson Cooper was a correspondent, MSNBC, CNBC and even the Weather Channel.

Alone among them in not carrying the telethon was Fox News, which aired its regularly scheduled "O'Reilly Factor" and "Hannity." MSNBC was scheduled to be showing its "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and "The Rachel Madow Show" in that time, but announced at the last minute, it too would be going with the telethon.

What important topics were they considering? Glenn Beck's one year on the Fox News network, for one thing; Karl Rove, pontificating on Obama's approval rating for another. Already, Fox News had been criticized for presenting less news on the Haitian earthquake than CNN or MSNBC.

By Saturday evening, the telethon had raised $57 million - a record for money raised by the pub lic during a disaster relief telethon. Advance sales of the "Hope for Haiti Now" album has placed it at No. 1 on iTunes in 18 countries in the biggest one-day album pre-sale in iTunes history. The one song released, "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" by Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono and The Edge, is the No. 1 iTunes track in 12 countries.

"The public has set a new standard of giving for a relief telethon with "Hope for Haiti Now," and the donations continue to come in - people can still contribute 24/7 via phone, web and text," said Lisa Paulsen, President & CEO of the non-profit organization providing philanthropic support to the organization.

"Hope for Haiti Now" will continue accepting donations for six months via the following methods:Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org ; Phone: 877-99-HAITI; Text: Text "GIVE" to 50555;

Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation,1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017.

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