Tally up how many times television correspondents uttered, “Now, for this next segment you may wish to leave the room” in one viewing day recently. Teasing us.

When is news coverage informative, enlightening — and at what juncture do reporters and viewers or readers become nosy buzzards circling around grisly, gory “racetracks,” secretly hoping to catch views of the carnage?

Capitalizing on tragedy. Louisiana deja vu all over again. Haiti erupts while quaking right off the charts, and where might all this display of caring have been in the first place? Long before folks were relegated to living in shanty-shacks, infra-structure-less while juxtaposed alongside resort locales.

Let us not lament train wrecks. Let us attempt to prevent train wrecks. Legislation rather than monumental, insurmountable rehabilitation.

Teddy bears, bouquets, lighted candles, shrines, prayer chanting — and hurried habitats constructed by traveling troupes for a season. Then the television crews follow, when third-world humanity all blows to “kingdom come” one more time.

Let us not pretend concern regarding catastrophes once they rage, devastate and destroy. Let us do something. Turn off the televisions and computers. Forget about slowed-to-a-crawl committee action. Respond every day, often to struggles, which appear smack dab under our very own noses. Natural disasters, combative situations, uninformed judgment calls. Souls falling between the cracks. Animal welfare. Let us relearn how to be all that human beings can be without prompts or resultant front-page recognition or spots on the evening news. No more crocodile tears, please — too painful to watch.