Only Pat Robertson could offhandedly twist a natural disaster to make it sound like a divine slap in the face to some of the world's poorest people. Whether he intended to or not, Robertson instantly became a huge part of the Haiti story, thanks to the American news media, which benefit from outrageous sound bites practically every time Robertson opens his mouth.

The thousands of words and hours of air time devoted to Robertson's comments about Haiti were a disservice to that ravaged country and provided the reverend with more attention than he deserves. And, in the end, all that coverage was wasted.

Fast forward three weeks to the next big scandal to result from the disaster in Haiti: the group of Americans caught trying to smuggle 33 Haitian kids out of the country.

Each of the ten defendants faces up to 15 years in jail. It is a serious crisis for one small church in Idaho, and an opportunity to explore the connections between Christianity, humanitarianism gone awry (if the defendants are to be believed) and crime in the midst of disaster (if their accusers are to be believed).

Now we arrive at the journalistic failure that unites the two scandals: Using sensational quotes from the wrong people—and not asking the right people—to help readers understand a significant story.

Letting Pat Robertson explain why an earthquake happened in Haiti—instead of, say, a geologist—would make just about as much sense as asking a geologist why Baptists would want to smuggle children. Meanwhile, journalists have neglected to call on Christian leaders to explain, condemn, justify or otherwise comment on the actions of the 10 alleged kidnappers.

Much light could be shed on how Christians define their altruistic duties if the right person—a public figure known in Christian circles—was approached with an informed question about his or her faith. Instead, when there are important issues of belief at stake, it appears no one thinks to consult a prominent believer. Other helpful sources might include pastors who have spent years actually helping people in Haiti or any of the various church leaders who must have been enraged by the news that this crime was perpetrated by fellow Christians.

In both the Roberson and child-smuggling stories, journalists have failed in significant ways.

One can only imagine how insulting and disheartening it would be to the folks barely hanging on in Port-au-Prince if they could watch American broadcasts of their tragedy and observe that an obscene portion of each segment was dedicated to a grinning Pat Robertson or to the sensationalism of the abduction.

The lessons are connected, and they are simple: Stories like the Baptists and their busload of children cry out for religious context and insightful quotations from fellow Christians. Conversely, do not let the loudest person with the most outrageous angle usurp a story, especially when it's one as complex and heart-rending as the earthquake in Haiti.

Tom Pfingsten is a journalist living in Southern California and studying foreign policy in the Specialized Journalism program at USC. Before grad school, he spent five years as a daily city reporter for the North County Times in San Diego, and he is currently working on a book about World War II veterans, Pearl Harbor and the Bataan Death March.