it's akin to the iron curtain, the purpose is isolation. but rather than forbid the outside news, they just omit it, and hope they can make life hard enough for you that you will never bother to go look things up.

it's terrible.

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they probably do but its probably on the less commercial channels

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huh?

quote:

Originally posted by JohnSmith it's akin to the iron curtain, the purpose is isolation. but rather than forbid the outside news, they just omit it, and hope they can make life hard enough for you that you will never bother to go look things up. it's terrible.

Have to agree with you. I lived in the US for one year and the Internet is the only way to find some news about other countries.
They just don't care. It is also that Americans are very bad at geography so they can't locate most countries on the globe (< no joke).

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quote:

Originally posted by Terpsichore Have to agree with you. I lived in the US for one year and the Internet is the only way to find some news about other countries. They just don't care.

i would have to say that i kinda agree, i personally find that americans are pretty selfish and only care about the issues that effect them, thus news coverage mainly only goes after local issues and such (to draw in that majority of the crowd). foriegn news agian is only widespread covered when it involves america, although there are cases when general international news is covered as well. ones i've seen lately are on network nightly news (NBC, CBS...) the oil spill off of spain and venezualian strikes going on now. still its far from where it should be, the BBC does exellent world broadcasts, although personally i find them to be biased on occaisions (or at least opion motivated)

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If God is the answer, it must have been a very stupid question.

there is a language barrier to that of most european countries, and two big oceans separating us from the rest of the world... That helped us win the revolutionary war, and it helps explain our distance from the rest of the world in terms of news.

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Language barrier? Half the world speaks english (or tries to). You can visit almost the entire world, speak only english, and i garanty that more than 90% will understand you.

Well Europe is separated by that ocean as well from the america, but still we get most of the important news from there.

And yes, I agree with you all, American foreing news aren't good at all. I lived there for two years, and it is amazing to see what they think of the rest of the world. When I was there in 1995-1997, they still had maps of Soviet Union!, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia on their european maps. And not just like old maps, but new maps which they were printing out to kids and nobody told them that was wrong. Also, lot of kids there (7th and 8th grade at the time I was there) asked me if Croatia was in Africa! or if we have elephants roaming around!!! They were also very surprised at my ability to use telephone. Some even didn't know where Europe is or even what it was. There's been a test about geographical litteracy on the www.nationalgeographic.com and of course, american kids did worst. America is too closed in on itself, and even when people try to be open about the rest of the world, they assume everyone is coming from tribe-like communities that exist only in some parts of Africa nowadays, which makes them look arrogant and stupid. Probably because all they see about other countries is documentaries, which usually don't concentrate on new urban areas, but mostly on traditional ways of living and history.

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Just took that test, and i was surprised at how easy that was. Not to brag, but it wasn't difficult. But where lies the problem then? If the problems ly with the documenteries is it then so hard to make new ones that portray the world right? Maybe documenteries about the breakup of Czechoslovakia or the Soviet Union. And if that doesn't help, radical reforms in the education system. Other suggestions?

quote:

helps explain our distance from the rest of the world in terms of news.

Well, geographically speaking, your northern neighbour is also in the same situation as the US. However, in addition to the National News, Canadian News broadcasters, and newspapers have plenty of world news. So contrary for Canada, at least, our geographical distance from the rest of the world doesn't help "in terms of news".

Also, I just browsed MSNBC Here are their Top Stories:

Iraq intelligence
-U.S. will give U.N. teams data; more sites probed

Arab world uneasy
-NBC: Nations challenge Washington’s diplomacy

Relief effort
-WP: Bracing for war, aid agencies speed effort

***It would seem like the US has to be involved in those stories, for broadcasters, and internet news sites etc, to broadcast world news.***

TOP TV NEWS STORIES


• Today: Your child and hearing loss
• Dateline: What are you really paying in the rush at the register?
• Today: Dealing with in-laws for the holidays
• Today: Fixing up furniture for the holidays
• Today: Keeping your credit score straight
• Dateline: Scorsese’s history of New York
• Dateline: Kids have easy access to violent video games
• Nightly News: LAPD considers fewer car chases
• Today: Treating teen depression
• Today: Reducing the risks of food illness
• Today: Staying healthy while you travel
• Dateline: Friend of alleged sniper says wife was real target
• Today: Converting your home into cash
• Today Book Club for December: ‘Paradise Alley’

LOL

Probably CNN does the best job CNN WORLD


Now, if you look at CBC NEWS (CANADA) you'll notice that, in addition, to Canadian news, you'll find tons of World News.

'Offensive' remarks cost Lott top Senate job
Blix to U.S., U.K: where are the weapons?
Canadian Embassy in Philippines to reopen
U.S. and Britain issue travel warning for Indonesia
Middle East peace on agenda in Washington
French police arrest 10 suspected ETA members
Maoist guerrillas kill 18 in India
French troops say they'll stop rebel advance in Ivory Coast
Venezuelan strikers reject top court order
Pope OKs Mother Teresa miracle
Vatican recognizes wartime limits of Pius XII
New Zealand loses its name to Internet

...and more.

Now BBC NEWS speaks for itself.


Here's a sample from an Australian News site ABC NEWS

Some of their top stories:

New Bali bombing suspect named
UN experts probe four sites, Iraq denounces Bush
Oil slick from Prestige tanker threatens Bay of Biscay
Body of Pearl murder suspect identified in Pakistan

Anyhow, I'm sure there are many more examples.

TP

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So it's not so much due to geographical isolation as to isoliniast behavior, correct?

I think that's predominately the stigma of the US Citizen.

Like anything else however, we can't generalize. I've met many Americans while traveling, and those folks knew, and weren't ignorant about what was happening in the rest of the world. For the same reason, you'll find some ignorant (insert your people here), it all really depends on the individual.

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Swear and Sweat by it.