Event: American Forum: American Media From a Foreign Perspective

By: Liona Chan

I attended the American Forum on American news from a foreign perspective on Monday evening. There were two panelists featured, a woman from the Washington Post, a man from the Nigerian Press, and moderator Mark Mcdonald. The entire discussion was being broadcast live on the air on WAMU.

One of the biggest issues discussed on the panel was the lack of coverage by American media when it comes to foreign news. Everything non domestic covered by the media seems to regard Iraq and the war on terror. Karen DeYoung from the Washington Post commented that the finite amount of space in the newspaper only allows for a limited coverage of foreign news. It seems that most of people in America are concerned with just that –America.

It is actually not surprising that most people do not care about foreign news, it seems that we view domestic issues as the most pressing and important. It is ironic though, that the very things that are affecting our daily lives and domestic politics and policies are occurring halfway across the world in the Middle East. Finding international coverage of anything, including the BBC proves to be a challenge at times. There are some notable differences now, however—the internet allows for a much greater flow of information and communication. I now have the ability to look at websites from around the world and automatically know what is going on several thousand miles away. Web news has become light years ahead of newspapers, and possibly even television broadcasts. I personally go online to read any news, it is updated the most frequently, and you don’t have to waste time waiting around to hear the story you are interested in.

Another comment I found interesting was African media member Sunday Dare’s remark about how radio is the dominant medium of media in Nigeria. Since people cannot afford computers or television, and internet access is difficult to come by most of the time, people rely on radios for their news and broadcasts. In America, there is a completely different phenomenon occurring—not only are newspapers becoming outdated, but radio is something that is out of the equation completely. It makes sense, however, that radio is the most popular—you do not have to know how to read, and it is extremely inexpensive, highly portable and accessible to all. It is surprising how outdated radio has become in the US today, considering its roots as one of the most dominant mediums of media. In a society where everyone is concerned with the latest, newest, and most advanced, it is extremely surprising to hear about a place where old forms of media and communications still dominate.