In real world news, Islamic Extremist attack journalist offices in Paris, France due to a controversial cover cartoon called Charlie Hebdo. While I'm not saying that this event wasn't important, only 20 lives were lost in this terror attack. What many don't know is that four days before this world renown act of terror in Paris, there was another terrorist attack in Nigeria. Unlike the attack in Paris, this one claimed hundreds of lives. The big question we should be asking is: Why didn't both attacks receive the same media coverage?
This particular comparison can be roped in with many others like it *cough Ferguson*. In an interview Ethan Zuckerman talks about how we as Americans are getting a wrong picture of what terrorism is. Like many who tried before terrorism is about power. Proving their dominance. Due to media agenda's much of what happens in the world gets swept under the rug. Media is a business, and as a business they are about what will sell. Unfortunately, people relate better to what happened in Paris, while many of us living the luxury of our first world lifestyles cannot associate with the deaths of third world villagers in a Nigeria.
Zuckerman enlightens us to the reason behind this. He says there are different types of terror. There is terror that is easy to talk about. Then, there is the terror that isn't easy to talk about. Hence, the agenda behind what is published and what isn't.
In turn, we are attributing to the media framing going on today. We as the audience let them know what we do and do not like with ratings. The media responds by publishing what we would rather see, hear, and read. As crazy at it seems the media is not controlling us, we are controlling it. The depth behind that is much greater than the prepubescent teenagers and adults attributing to it can comprehend. Mostly because they can't see the world beyond their noses, because they're stuck in front of a screen.
On the Media Interview:
http://www.onthemedia.org/story/on-the-media-2015-01-16/
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