The Times of London reports on Prince Harry's deployment to Afghanistan and subsequent return to England after the media broke the story of his whereabouts. In today's lead article, The Times opens with the response of the Taliban, quoting an insurgent general, before continuing to offer viewpoints from the British Army on the decision to withdraw Prince Harry from Afghanistan. The insurgent general draws attention to the significance of the Prince's presence as a sign of the royal family's support for the war. The article does not turn to the Prince's own opinion until the conclusion.
This offers an interesting perspective. The use of the Taliban quote first is an attempt to convey an alternate viewpoint, something that the Mermin reading proved is not usually done in covering international conflicts. Of course, it is also the most newsworthy part of the story. The focus of the story is on diplomacy or the international effect of the Prince's presence in the armed forces in Afghanistan. A second story goes into a more celebrity-motivated account of the Prince's actual duties and how his unit kept the secret of his identity for ten weeks. This separation of diplomacy and celebrity shows a respect for the incident as an international news story, rather than more gossip about the royals.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Bloodshed in the Gaza Strip
Since Wednesday the 27th, Israeli air raids have killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza strip. The first attack resulted in the death of 11 people among whom were a twelve-year-old child and a six-month-old baby. Then, in response to the death of an Israeli killed by a Hamas rocket, the attacks intensified and on Thursday morning 8 members of Hamas2 other combatants and 4 children aged7 to 12died. The UN spokesperson strongly condemned the deaths of the children, describing them as “tragic and condemnable”. He called Israel “not to put the civilian lives in danger”.
However, the Israeli Prime minister, actually in Tokyo, showed his determination to pursue these attacks against rocket launchers. He even said that “Israel has to be ready in case of an escalation” and that “a large scale ground battle is highly likely to be considered”. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who is expected to be in Israel next week, stated that the “rocket attacks must stop” and she expressed her concern about the fate of “innocent people and the humanitarian situation in the Palestinians territories”.
On the Palestinian side, Ismaïl Haniyeh, a Hamas leader who is not recognized by the international community, condemned “the repeated crimes committed by the Zionist occupation”. He called for the Arab countries to “break their regrettable silence and to immediate action in order to end the aggression”.
In this article of the February 28th edition of Le Monde, it is interesting to see that we get different point of views. We don’t have simply two sides of the story but I might say 4: First we have the “neutral” point of view from the UN spokesperson. Then we have the position of the Israeli Prime minister, which I would have expected to come first in the article. For the third position, there is the US point of view embodied by Condoleeza Rice, which doesn’t surprise me at all, as the US has always given its support to Israel. But at the same time she expressed her concern for the lives of the Palestinian so she might be viewed as kind of “neutral”. Finally, there is the Palestinian point of view, which is not official , as the leader is not even recognized by the international community. I would have expected someone from the government, but maybe as we said today in class, what if you don’t have someone from the other side to talk about the issue? Do we accept any source to represent this ‘other side,’ even when it is unofficial, simply for the sake of having two sides of the story? In order for democracy to be respected, I think it would be strongly recommended that both sources carry equal diplomatic weight.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
U.S. News: Youtube (SNL Weekend Update)
In light of last week's reading, I thought I ought to turn to new media or what Baym refers to as the discursive integration of media. I found this on youtube, and saw that it was showcased under Yahoo News as well. SNL's weekend update, another rendition of "fake news," used comedy and entertainment in this segment to take a political stance in defense and support of Hillary Clinton. While in order to understand the skit, some basic political knowledge is necessary, not much background information about the issues are stances are needed, which perhaps is what separates it from the caliber of "The Daily Show." Note: SNL's Weekend Update often uses impersonators of politicians and/or celebrities, never the real people. They see themselves as a joke; the Daily Show seems themselves as a satiricial mouthpiece for people's discontent with the media under the protection of branding itself as "fake news."
In any case, as long as viewers are aware of the abstract, sweeping, and superficial defamation of Hillary's character as a woman and presidential candidate, they can understand the joke.
(Hopefully, NBC won't take this down as well!!)Monday, February 25, 2008
Japan: Popular international news
Number one on Mainichi Daily New's Top stories for the day was "Prime minister's comments on massacre spark outrage among Thailand's academics, media". According to the article, the public was shocked by the 72-year-old Thai Prime Minister's denial of a massacre of student protesters 30 years ago. He claims that only "one unlucky guy" died on that day when records account for almost fifty people. The Prime Ministers denial led to outrage among the public, academics, and victims' families. Then the articles quotes other newspapers that criticise the Prime Minister
Interesting enough, the photos accompanying the article in the Mainichi Daily News are actually from the Associated Press. The article itself is also attributed to the A.P. As we discussed in class, it's certainly easier for even the international press to use pre-written news in their publications. I wonder if the international section of the Japanese newspapers would be as varied without the A.P. or similar institutions. In fact, I just noticed, but all the articles in the top five Most Popular News catagory of the Mainichi Daily News are written by the A.P., though some of the pictures are from Reuters. It's entirely likely that there would only be domestic news if the newspaper had to do all the investigating and reporting themselves.
The list of Most Popular News includes...
Number 2: "New South Korean president vows to boost economy, deal with N. Korea"
Number 3: "Putin warns Kosovo will 'come back to knock' the West, as NATO envoy lashes out"
Number 4: "2 earthquakes shake border area between US, Mexico; about 65 Mexican schools evacuated"
Number 5: "Australian minister says he wants option to buy US F-22 Raptor"
Interesting enough, the photos accompanying the article in the Mainichi Daily News are actually from the Associated Press. The article itself is also attributed to the A.P. As we discussed in class, it's certainly easier for even the international press to use pre-written news in their publications. I wonder if the international section of the Japanese newspapers would be as varied without the A.P. or similar institutions. In fact, I just noticed, but all the articles in the top five Most Popular News catagory of the Mainichi Daily News are written by the A.P., though some of the pictures are from Reuters. It's entirely likely that there would only be domestic news if the newspaper had to do all the investigating and reporting themselves.
The list of Most Popular News includes...
Number 2: "New South Korean president vows to boost economy, deal with N. Korea"
Number 3: "Putin warns Kosovo will 'come back to knock' the West, as NATO envoy lashes out"
Number 4: "2 earthquakes shake border area between US, Mexico; about 65 Mexican schools evacuated"
Number 5: "Australian minister says he wants option to buy US F-22 Raptor"
Japan: Obama sends well wishes to Obama
The town of Obama in Fukui Prefecture, Japan sends well wishes and their specialty luck charm to U.S. Presidential Candidate Barak Obama. Because the town name carries the same pronounciation as Sen. Obama's name, the town sent wanted to wish Sen. Obama well on the Super Tuesday Primaries earlier this month. Their gift to him included their specialty good luck charm for winning competitions. In the days before Super Tuesday, Japanese supporters of Sen. Obama flocked to the town that bears the same name. Posters that encouraged Sen. Obama to "Do your best!" were found in the town's hotels and shops started selling "Obama-manjuu," a variation of a traditional Japanese pastry that has a bean paste filling.
The town's mayor says that they hope to promote themselves through connection with Sen. Obama. "If he wins the democratic nomination after receiveing their good luck charm for winning competitions, it will be good PR for their charms."
Japanese Version from Yomiuri Daily:
http://osaka.yomiuri.co.jp/news/20080216p101.htm
English Version from Mainichi Daily News: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/international/archive/news/2008/02/20080214p2g00m0in036000c.html
This is perhaps a case where the instead of the market using the media to make a profit, it's the audience that wishes to make a profit from the media. By using the the relationship with the widely televised and current media magnet candidate nominee Barak Obama, the town is hoping to promote themselves. Certainly, the news paper is also biased in its relaying of the story to the audience since the town is in Japan, thus it is rather surprisingly that the story falls under that reported as internaitonal news. This connection with Senator Obama gives the news a personnalized aspect for both the audience as well as the town of Obama. Sen. Obama is becoming increasingly well known among the Japanese and the town of Obama may even receive a bit of name recognition in the States as well as in their own country.
The town's mayor says that they hope to promote themselves through connection with Sen. Obama. "If he wins the democratic nomination after receiveing their good luck charm for winning competitions, it will be good PR for their charms."
Japanese Version from Yomiuri Daily:
http://osaka.yomiuri.co.jp/news/20080216p101.htm
English Version from Mainichi Daily News: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/international/archive/news/2008/02/20080214p2g00m0in036000c.html
This is perhaps a case where the instead of the market using the media to make a profit, it's the audience that wishes to make a profit from the media. By using the the relationship with the widely televised and current media magnet candidate nominee Barak Obama, the town is hoping to promote themselves. Certainly, the news paper is also biased in its relaying of the story to the audience since the town is in Japan, thus it is rather surprisingly that the story falls under that reported as internaitonal news. This connection with Senator Obama gives the news a personnalized aspect for both the audience as well as the town of Obama. Sen. Obama is becoming increasingly well known among the Japanese and the town of Obama may even receive a bit of name recognition in the States as well as in their own country.
U.S. News: Castro and the Oscars
U.S. politics took a step to the wayside in The New York Times this week. At the crux of the recent news was Fidel Castro's decision to step down as president. His successor, as predicted, is his brother, Raul. Despite Raul's proclamation to adapt Cuba to the times and transfer more power to provincial governments, little is expected to change, as reflected in a accompanying Nytimes concerning Cubans' indifference to Castro's retirement. Not surprisingly, Raul said he will continue to consult his older brother.
Another important news piece that has been prominent throughout this past week concerns Pakistani President Musharraf's usurpation from office through--what do you know--democratic election. The defeat of Musharraf's party spells victory for the opposition parties; Bhutto would be proud.
The "hard" news above that has been at the center of the NYtimes was replaced today largely by the Oscars, which is ranks high on the entertainment factor when considering the dismal state of this year's Golden Globes, a result from the writer's strike, which has finally ended a week ago.
---------------------------------------------------------
While I was perusing the NYtimes, a few things dawned on me.
I don't think the quality of the NYtimes has gone down, at least the online version hasn't, regardless of the recent staff cuts. I did notice, however, that the coverage on the presidential campaign went down. While other international events temporarily superseded the election campaign in newsworthy importance (see above), the NYtimes article reporting on the staff cuts (posted by Professor Just on the conference) specifically said that the financial strain was due to an unusually "long and competitive presidential campaign." Perhaps, there is a connection between the exorbitant expenses going into the campaign coverage, the staff cuts that followed suit, and a subsequent decline in coverage.
Then again, the NYtimes stated that the main reasons behind the cuts is a slowing economy and the rise of internet advertising. I suspect this is why the online version hasn't been as affected. In any case, because the NYtimes is still the most widely read newspaper around the world, it would be a pity if the NYtimes gave in to market forces over journalistic integrity.
Another important news piece that has been prominent throughout this past week concerns Pakistani President Musharraf's usurpation from office through--what do you know--democratic election. The defeat of Musharraf's party spells victory for the opposition parties; Bhutto would be proud.
The "hard" news above that has been at the center of the NYtimes was replaced today largely by the Oscars, which is ranks high on the entertainment factor when considering the dismal state of this year's Golden Globes, a result from the writer's strike, which has finally ended a week ago.
---------------------------------------------------------
While I was perusing the NYtimes, a few things dawned on me.
I don't think the quality of the NYtimes has gone down, at least the online version hasn't, regardless of the recent staff cuts. I did notice, however, that the coverage on the presidential campaign went down. While other international events temporarily superseded the election campaign in newsworthy importance (see above), the NYtimes article reporting on the staff cuts (posted by Professor Just on the conference) specifically said that the financial strain was due to an unusually "long and competitive presidential campaign." Perhaps, there is a connection between the exorbitant expenses going into the campaign coverage, the staff cuts that followed suit, and a subsequent decline in coverage.
Then again, the NYtimes stated that the main reasons behind the cuts is a slowing economy and the rise of internet advertising. I suspect this is why the online version hasn't been as affected. In any case, because the NYtimes is still the most widely read newspaper around the world, it would be a pity if the NYtimes gave in to market forces over journalistic integrity.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
U.K.: Sunday roundup
Topics that have merited attention in the World News section of The Guardian today:
Oil companies going to Basra to take advantage of its resources despite concerns from Iraqis
Response to arrest of Italian mob boss in Calabria
The Katine Project for clean water in Uganda
An alternate perspective on the U.S. campaign: American press turning critical of Obama?
Suicide rate in Japan
Ireland's entry for Eurovision song contest
Elections in Cyprus
And The Times:
Clinton article mentioned in previous post
Cuba's transition after the Castro regime
Sarkozy's son's campaign for political office
Notice The Times puts more of an emphasis on American news and follow-ups on previous issues in the few stories featured "above the fold" on their website, while The Guardian has a greater variety of countries and new stories.
Topics on the blogs this week:
Jon Worth, Euroblog:
The European emergency number, 112
The European Parliament, as reported in The Times, and MEP fraud allegations
Adoption of the Lisbon Treaty by the European Parliament
Gordon Brown's trip to Brussels to meet with EU leaders
Nosemonkey, EUtopia:
MEP scandal
Britain and the War Against Terror
Lichtenstein's success outside the EU
Oil companies going to Basra to take advantage of its resources despite concerns from Iraqis
Response to arrest of Italian mob boss in Calabria
The Katine Project for clean water in Uganda
An alternate perspective on the U.S. campaign: American press turning critical of Obama?
Suicide rate in Japan
Ireland's entry for Eurovision song contest
Elections in Cyprus
And The Times:
Clinton article mentioned in previous post
Cuba's transition after the Castro regime
Sarkozy's son's campaign for political office
Notice The Times puts more of an emphasis on American news and follow-ups on previous issues in the few stories featured "above the fold" on their website, while The Guardian has a greater variety of countries and new stories.
Topics on the blogs this week:
Jon Worth, Euroblog:
The European emergency number, 112
The European Parliament, as reported in The Times, and MEP fraud allegations
Adoption of the Lisbon Treaty by the European Parliament
Gordon Brown's trip to Brussels to meet with EU leaders
Nosemonkey, EUtopia:
MEP scandal
Britain and the War Against Terror
Lichtenstein's success outside the EU
U.K.: Campaign updates
The lead article in The Sunday Times (The Times of London) analyzes recent American election developments with a focus on Clinton's changed approach from being "honored" to debate with Obama to saying that he should be ashamed for misrepresenting her stance on health care coverage in recent mailings. It looks forward to the March 4 primaries as the next crucial date for the Clinton campaign. The article ends by pointing to McCain's enormous lead over Huckabee, and at the end it mentions that Nader is now running but is unlikely to garner much support, precluding any future drama it may have forecast by bringing up the votes he is thought to have diverted from Al Gore in the 2004 election.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
U.K.: Turmoil in Kenya
The Times of London today has an article on Kenyan athletes' involvement in the unrest following the recent election there. Filed from Nairobi, the article reveals that Kenyan athletes, most of whom are members of the Kalenjin tribe, have been involved in organizing raids against members of the neighboring Kikuyu tribe who support President Mwai Kibaki. The article quotes the director of the International Crisis Group in support of its argument early on in the piece, and later it includes a denial from the chairman of Athletics Kenya. The reporter offers a comprehensive view of the problem, detailing the economic gains and prestige successful Kenyan runners bring to their country and the reasons their climate is hospitable to training.
The fact that The Times gave this article a Nairobi dateline suggests that they are on top of their international coverage, reporting on the conflict from the capital of Kenya. The article does not go into too much political detail or assume much background knowledge of the reader, aside from a basic understanding that skirmishes have resulted following the recent election. It is long enough to offer a unique angle on the issue, but short enough to retain the interest of the reader. By focusing on the athletes' supposed involvement in the skirmishes, the article gives it a Western slant, as Kenyan runners are arguably the best-known citizens of that country to the average European and American.
The fact that The Times gave this article a Nairobi dateline suggests that they are on top of their international coverage, reporting on the conflict from the capital of Kenya. The article does not go into too much political detail or assume much background knowledge of the reader, aside from a basic understanding that skirmishes have resulted following the recent election. It is long enough to offer a unique angle on the issue, but short enough to retain the interest of the reader. By focusing on the athletes' supposed involvement in the skirmishes, the article gives it a Western slant, as Kenyan runners are arguably the best-known citizens of that country to the average European and American.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Followup on previous post
I couldn't help that despite the "hard" news content dominating Huffingtonpost, the most popular news stories among the site's readers have been fluctuating about Obama, Hillary, and some ridiculous incoming "soft" news, such as "Kathleen Turner on Cougars and Angering Nicholas Cage" and "Johny Knoxville on Stunt Misshap: I almost lost my own balls." I think that these two types of media is at the moment most popular saids alot about the status of our media and just the extent to which people are informed. As our readings have outlined, readers do not necessarily read the news because they should, but for entertainment. Are we learning anything of substance? The headlines of the political news are extremely dramatized, which shows that people are getting bored with the election coverage.
Monday, February 18, 2008
U.S. News: Presidential delegate battle
The running headling of The Huffingtonpost, news and commentary outlet, was "A Whole New Delegate Battle," discussing the upcoming battle for delegates on the Democratic side and the Republican side, which seems clearer. The blogs on the side seem to complement most of the other headlines displayed on Huffingtonpost. In national-oriented news, the U.S. banks have been borrowing extensively from the Federal Reserve as of late, another demonstration of our economy's less than stellar state. Most national news revolved around charges of plagiarism coming not only from Clinton and Obama camps at one another but in regards to McCain, too. National news covered Bush and how he claimed that "[he doesn't] think' the War Has Anything to do with the Economy".
Indeed, Huffington herself blogs that the media is ignoring just the extent of John McCain's conservatism. Other featured blogs arguing on both sides of the aisle about whether Obama is a "con" or not, whether he has plagiarized certain token gestures and communication from others before him. McCain, however, seemed to dominate especially concerning imminent fears about another four years of conservatism, such as the fear of a supreme court that travels to the right, and his ineptedness, and one commenting on the tactics of the Republican Party. There was only one blog on Roger Clemens case and one on Hillary--"Must Hillary be perfect?"
In addition, their international news cover the triumph of democracy and Musharraff's defeat to the opposition party; there was a blog covering this topic as well, saying that Bhutto would be "smiling down from heaven." Also, the Huffingtonpost linked articles to Kosovo's recent self-determination and has worsened the ethnic divide and tensions between Albanians and the Serbs. Another article framedthe Kosovo issue inan international light as a division between the so-called "superpowers": the West (U.S. and the EU) versus Russian and China.
Indeed, Huffington herself blogs that the media is ignoring just the extent of John McCain's conservatism. Other featured blogs arguing on both sides of the aisle about whether Obama is a "con" or not, whether he has plagiarized certain token gestures and communication from others before him. McCain, however, seemed to dominate especially concerning imminent fears about another four years of conservatism, such as the fear of a supreme court that travels to the right, and his ineptedness, and one commenting on the tactics of the Republican Party. There was only one blog on Roger Clemens case and one on Hillary--"Must Hillary be perfect?"
In addition, their international news cover the triumph of democracy and Musharraff's defeat to the opposition party; there was a blog covering this topic as well, saying that Bhutto would be "smiling down from heaven." Also, the Huffingtonpost linked articles to Kosovo's recent self-determination and has worsened the ethnic divide and tensions between Albanians and the Serbs. Another article framedthe Kosovo issue inan international light as a division between the so-called "superpowers": the West (U.S. and the EU) versus Russian and China.
U.K.: Kosovo's declaration of independence
The Guardian blogs about worldwide reactions to Kosovo's declaration of independence in its newsblog. The blog offers brief, complementary coverage to the main news event. Its focus today is on the diplomatic complications that will ensue, and it mentions the favorable responses of the U.S. and U.K. to Kosovo's independence as well as the unfavorable ones in Spain and Russia. The blog links to responses from legal scholars in the U.S., a New York Times audio slideshow providing background on Kosovo's history, and a posting by a Serbian journalist on BoingBoing. It offers a multinational perspective by including these links and makes use of the blog medium to summarize other coverage on the Internet that the topic has already received.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Japan: US University Gunman
The Mainichi Daily News lists the most popular international news of the day in its own section and number one on the list for today, Feb. 16th, was "US University Gunman's Deadly Rampage Baffles All that Knew Him." Despite the American origin of this piece of news, the following articles in that category includes news about calls for loyalty in North Korea for their leader's birthday, the closing of websites in Iran, the transfer of a Nazi war criminal from Canada to Italy, and inflation in Zimbabwe, before finally spiraling back to US news with an article on the White House and Congress's actions on the Spy Bill.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/international/news/20080216p2g00m0in009000c.html
The US article says that students and school administrators at the North Illinois University in Dekalb, IL were shocked by the sudden attack of a 27 year old former student, who killed five students when he brought three hand-guns and a pump-action shotgun onto campus and proceded to open-fire on a geology lecture before committing suicide. After claiming that everyone, including the police chief, was shocked by the young man's out-of-character behaviour, the article then begins listing similar cases that have occured in the US recently: the Virginia Tech massacre in April, a Louisiana Tech case where a woman shot to fellow students on Feb. 8th, a high school shooting in Tennessee just on Monday, and the tragic brain-dead diagnosis of a middle school student shot in school in california. The article also includes a little background on the gunman, noting that he had worked as a fulltime correctional officer at a prision, but suddenly didn't show up one day. Furthermore, he had enlisted in the army, but had been discharged only a five months later for an "unspecified reason."
Much like US news outlets, the report of this piece of news invariable revolves around the shock and dismay of the community. Perhaps a reflection of the personalizing nature of the media, everyone noted in the article claims that the gunman did not appear to be the type of person to perpetrate such a horrific event. People lament and ponder, speculate and discuss. Interestingly enough, the last two parts on the gunman's background may be a bias on the part of the media, since it speaks about a acknowledged gunman, to portray him as a ordinary joe, who perhaps had a dark secret that no one knew about. It certainly gives the article more suspense and drama, a sense of could it be your classmate? Or your neighbor?
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/international/news/20080216p2g00m0in009000c.html
The US article says that students and school administrators at the North Illinois University in Dekalb, IL were shocked by the sudden attack of a 27 year old former student, who killed five students when he brought three hand-guns and a pump-action shotgun onto campus and proceded to open-fire on a geology lecture before committing suicide. After claiming that everyone, including the police chief, was shocked by the young man's out-of-character behaviour, the article then begins listing similar cases that have occured in the US recently: the Virginia Tech massacre in April, a Louisiana Tech case where a woman shot to fellow students on Feb. 8th, a high school shooting in Tennessee just on Monday, and the tragic brain-dead diagnosis of a middle school student shot in school in california. The article also includes a little background on the gunman, noting that he had worked as a fulltime correctional officer at a prision, but suddenly didn't show up one day. Furthermore, he had enlisted in the army, but had been discharged only a five months later for an "unspecified reason."
Much like US news outlets, the report of this piece of news invariable revolves around the shock and dismay of the community. Perhaps a reflection of the personalizing nature of the media, everyone noted in the article claims that the gunman did not appear to be the type of person to perpetrate such a horrific event. People lament and ponder, speculate and discuss. Interestingly enough, the last two parts on the gunman's background may be a bias on the part of the media, since it speaks about a acknowledged gunman, to portray him as a ordinary joe, who perhaps had a dark secret that no one knew about. It certainly gives the article more suspense and drama, a sense of could it be your classmate? Or your neighbor?
Japan: Stevie Wonder Takes a Tumble
The Mainichi Daily News conveniently provides a video forum on their website and one of their leading stories is indeed about the US 2008 primaries, specifically, Barak Obama's campaign. Rather than discuss the boring political counts of delegates, superdelegates, and tactics, hoever, Mainichi's International AP Video section features a clip of Stevie Wonder's tumble during an Obama rally.
http://video.mainichi.co.jp/img/pluginv3r1.js
or
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/community/video/
it's titled "Stevie Wonder takes tumble at Obama rally"
The caption with the video states that Stevie Wonder took a slight tumble during an Obama rally in California and was helped up by his wife Michelle. Interesting, isn't it, that the leading news story is about the US, and an important event in the US, but the content is about a celebritiy's mishap. I think this definitely a clear indication of marketability. The Japanese don't really want to hear the boring news. It's excitement and novelty that catches the readers' attention and the media sells on that point.
http://video.mainichi.co.jp/img/pluginv3r1.js
or
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/community/video/
it's titled "Stevie Wonder takes tumble at Obama rally"
The caption with the video states that Stevie Wonder took a slight tumble during an Obama rally in California and was helped up by his wife Michelle. Interesting, isn't it, that the leading news story is about the US, and an important event in the US, but the content is about a celebritiy's mishap. I think this definitely a clear indication of marketability. The Japanese don't really want to hear the boring news. It's excitement and novelty that catches the readers' attention and the media sells on that point.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
U.K.: Shooting at Northern Illinois University
The Times of London dramatizes the story of the shooting at Northern Illinois University, billed (just as the Virginia Tech shooting last year) as "US Campus Massacre." An article two days after the shooting leads with the latest developments: the revelation that the former student was "normal" according to those who knew him. It goes on to depict the sequence of events in which the gunman stormed into the lecture hall and carried out the shooting. Towards the end, the article notes that the shooting took place in Illinois, "the home state of Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate," and that gun crime has increased in that state recently.
The Times often includes sidebars with their articles, and the one accompanying this one is the most illuminating on the international perspective of the event. It gives a timeline of the gunman's life before listing recent shootings in other parts of the U.S. and more general statistics about deaths caused by firearms in the U.S. This hints at the disbelief with which other nations often view gun rights and gun control laws in the U.S.
The Times often includes sidebars with their articles, and the one accompanying this one is the most illuminating on the international perspective of the event. It gives a timeline of the gunman's life before listing recent shootings in other parts of the U.S. and more general statistics about deaths caused by firearms in the U.S. This hints at the disbelief with which other nations often view gun rights and gun control laws in the U.S.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Super Tuesday Across the Pond
The Times of London, like many foreign news outlets, has had extensive coverage of the 2008 election in the U.S. What distinguishes their perspective from that of American media outlets is their frequent need to explain the electoral system (really, many Americans would benefit from having it spelled out for them, too). The newspaper has devoted an entire blog on its website to coverage of the election, entitled "Across the Pond." In multiple posts a day, it breaks down the definition of a "superdelegate," reports the latest primary results, and more. The "superdelegate" post (published today at the above link) gives a concise definition before linking to American news sources for elaboration.
These blog posts complement the news stories that will be published tomorrow, including one apparently filed right after Virginia was called for Obama in today's primary that forecast his predicted victory in Maryland and D.C., as well, before going on to devote a brief paragraph to McCain's success over Huckabee. The rest of the article analyzed Clinton's chances of remaining in the race, echoing the presumptive sense of doom that American media have also been hinting at. It is not hard to imagine the tone of the latter half of the article shaping the news rather than reporting it.
I'm going to turn to old news now, but since I'm just now beginning the blogging for this comparative study of international news agendas, I thought it would be helpful to reflect on how a British news source covered Super Tuesday, too. With all the coverage the election is receiving is the press, one has to wonder whether Britons are actually paying attention. When I was in London during the spring of 2007, I spoke with British university students who knew as much (or sometimes more) about recent campaign developments and predictions as I did. Students (especially those studying politics at a metropolitan university) are a rare breed, though, and The Times suggests that not all Britons care that much about knowing up-to-the-minute developments in the campaigns.
On Super Tuesday, The Times posted a video on its website interviewing mostly middle-aged adults around the streets of London, and few of them knew it was "Super Tuesday." They were first asked if they were following the U.S. elections (many were), and then if knew what day it was. The majority were unaware that it was anything other than the 5th of February. This is an interesting reminder that audiences pick and choose what news to follow closely, and news agendas may not always match up with the public's interests as closely as editors imagine.
These blog posts complement the news stories that will be published tomorrow, including one apparently filed right after Virginia was called for Obama in today's primary that forecast his predicted victory in Maryland and D.C., as well, before going on to devote a brief paragraph to McCain's success over Huckabee. The rest of the article analyzed Clinton's chances of remaining in the race, echoing the presumptive sense of doom that American media have also been hinting at. It is not hard to imagine the tone of the latter half of the article shaping the news rather than reporting it.
I'm going to turn to old news now, but since I'm just now beginning the blogging for this comparative study of international news agendas, I thought it would be helpful to reflect on how a British news source covered Super Tuesday, too. With all the coverage the election is receiving is the press, one has to wonder whether Britons are actually paying attention. When I was in London during the spring of 2007, I spoke with British university students who knew as much (or sometimes more) about recent campaign developments and predictions as I did. Students (especially those studying politics at a metropolitan university) are a rare breed, though, and The Times suggests that not all Britons care that much about knowing up-to-the-minute developments in the campaigns.
On Super Tuesday, The Times posted a video on its website interviewing mostly middle-aged adults around the streets of London, and few of them knew it was "Super Tuesday." They were first asked if they were following the U.S. elections (many were), and then if knew what day it was. The majority were unaware that it was anything other than the 5th of February. This is an interesting reminder that audiences pick and choose what news to follow closely, and news agendas may not always match up with the public's interests as closely as editors imagine.
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