Communication
The New York Times has more international news items than the USA Today and Washington Post. The local newspapers are all operating in a period of war on terror in the Middle East and aggressive Russia. The countries covered include Russia, U.K., and the Middle Eastern countries. They have employees who are coordinating to deliver rapid and quality news on varied international issues. The Washington Post and USA Today provide minimal coverage of international news issues because they focus more on American issues. However, certain international news items feature in all the papers. For the past few days, they have all covered stories on the Ecuador earthquake that left hundreds dead and thousands injured. In regards to today’s international news, all the papers covered stories regarding Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. However, the New Times covered additional news stories such as Russia’s increased spending on modernizing its military hardware, such as the nuclear-powered hardware, and Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
Analysis
Natural disasters, such as the recent earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador, destabilize the normal operations of a society or community and may cause the loss of livelihoods and lives (Boydstun 65). Some of the natural disasters have devastating effects, depending on their magnitude. The media serves as a crucial source of information during disasters by providing invaluable information to people and raising awareness about the disaster. Such a trend is widely reflected in the news items covered by Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today. Disaster reporting informs international aid agencies and emergency organizations about the affected people’s needs in the wake of disasters. International politics also receives considerable media coverage. In most instances, new ideological narratives are shaping contemporary information environments as well as the way local newspapers cover intentional political affairs (Boydstun 76). For example, the New York Times’ story on President Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia focuses on how the U.S. related with its Middle Eastern allies.
Interpretation
The impression that U.S. citizens do not care enough about things that happen in other countries (especially the less-developed countries) is widespread (Owen 55). It is Common to hear about American children who are unable to find Europe ion world’s map or the continent where Afghanistan is found. Critics argue that such ignorance is caused by lack of information on global affairs. Others blame parochial American journalism that place emphasis on local news and paying minimal attention to things that are occurring in other parts of the world unless or covering only issues that affect U.S.A (Owen 42). The trend raises concern whether America does not care about events occurring in other countries or whether the U.S media are poor in their coverage of international news.
Evaluation
News regarding foreign affairs is limited in American newspapers. People of other cultures know more about the U.S., but Americans know little about their nations. Presently, international stories that do not involve natural disasters, bombs, wars, and financial calamities have a limited chance of featuring in American newspapers (Owen 61). It implies that there is little information about other cultures that enter into the American consciousness. It is a trend involves reducing the prominence of international affairs and foreign news in the American media. The trend is widely inspired by the belief that American audience and readers to not like foreign stories; therefore, most news platforms focus on local American issues. The American newspapers should change their current approach to the international news by covering events that occur in different regions of the globe (Boydstun 87).
Works Cited
Boydstun, Amber. Making the News: Politics, the Media, and Agenda Setting. New York: Prentice Hall, 2013. Print.
Owen, John. International News Reporting: Frontlines and Deadlines. Cornwall: Polity, 2008. Print.
