Media Criticism

I enjoy reading foreign newspapers when it comes to covering American politics. The American press is largely homogenized in its coverage, relying on formal press releases and news services to fill out their coverage. I was reading the BBC News website recently and came across an entire section called USA Vote 2008 that provides a good primer for British readers. In fact, I think it is an important primer for all Americans who are confused by the issues at hand.

One article I really enjoyed was published at the end of July and discussed the religious right in America and the prospects of gaining religious votes in the Republican primaries. Mike Huckabee provides a nice bit of candor when he says that conservative religious elements had become “intoxicated” with power. While the article is concise, it provides observations of religious power in America from a different perspective.

The BBC name has diminished a bit in value over the years due to questions about objectivity and the quality of their reporting. Nonetheless, it is important to read what the foreign press thinks about an American political system that has immersed operatives in an Election Day atmosphere nearly two years before Election Day. The British political scene is changing as the Blair years have come and gone with a media that is rejuvenated by a new leader to prey on. It seems like a tall task for the typically apathetic American public but we need to understand how the foreign press sees our system to test our beliefs and convictions. We also need to use foreign newspapers and websites to measure what we need to do to create an effective and objective press in America.

I thought I would add a bit of colour by discussing a highly important issue to me–Israel–through the eyes of an article from a foreign source.

Last summer, Israel’s war in Lebanon was a huge source of controversy. Photos circulated all over the globe of suffering citizens in Lebanon, news reports blasted Israel for the accidental killing of UN observers, and the Israeli people seemed to be generally unsatisfied with the outcome of the war. Israel traditionally gets bad press; somehow, no matter how many Israeli civilians die as a result of terror attacks, the front page seems to carry a picture of the poor, suffering terrorists.

However, this article paints a different picture. It doesn’t even mention the damage done to Lebanon; rather, it focuses on the suffering Israelis faced as a result of war. From evacuations to children suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the BBC seems highly sympathetic towards the plight of a country at war.

Complicated issues breed complicated journalism.