This video is a short lecture on international news coverage. I found it interesting as a geographer and it brought up some interesting questions. See below for my commentary.
Initially I was excited about the presenters use of maps. As a geography major I am keenly aware of how maps impact our perceptions. The news map did an excellent and powerful job of conveying her initial point. As she delved deeper into her topic I found myself agreeing with her. When I did a regional news study on the South Asian region I had a very hard time getting anything detailed. This despite the then new eruption of civil war in Sri Lanka and Nepal. But as she talked about local news coverage a thought began to pound at my brain.
"Is it really that important to be informed on world news?"
In college I would have emphatically said yes. Now I wonder. For thousands of years humans across the planet lived and died knowing very little about the wider world. Even with our increased communications and transportation most people confine their daily life to a small geographic area. An earthquake in Italy might be interesting but it doesn't really impact those living in Utah. However an Amber alert or news of road construction is important and useful information.
So what is the role of news? What is fit to print? These are questions I could probably answer if I had ever taken a journalism class. But for now I will just have to think on it.
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