US Media Coverage Map, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.
I took this screen shot from a talk by Alisa Miller, the CEO of Public Radio International. It shows a world map according to the amount of coverage US media outlets by country. The two big areas are the USA (purple) and Iraq (yellow). Those two countries compose over 3/4 of the stories the American viewing public sees. I believe this covers television, prints, and internet American media outlets. This is one of the causes of Americans being ignorant of international issues. And worse still, the international coverage that is shown, just barely hits upon the topic or country, with no depth at all. Even sadder, the biggest news item of that big purple spot in February 2007 was the death of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith.
Of course this is not to say that all Americans are ignorant of world events and other cultures. When I am in the US, I watch the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, or follow internet web sites of the New York Times international or CNN international, etc. But most average and undereducated Americans don’t have a solid understanding of most other countries. I would bet that the majority of people in my hometown of Caspian, Michigan could not find Serbia on a world map.
As the world shifts from a USA dominated one, to a more global spread, it is more important that Americans understand what is going on outside of Hollywood and People magazine. You can watch the entire video by clicking here.
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