Correcting The Failure To Pay Attention To Crises That Aren't On The Front Page
Burgess | CLMI
When people consider global issues within communities beyond them, they may first think of global crises that are being depicted on the front headlines of popular news sources. As a result, smaller nations are often ignored - which is not surprising considering the focus remains stuck on news sources that express what are judged as the most “relevant” and shocking topics to mainstream and wealthier Western populations consuming them …
While acknowledgement of crises beyond violence that impact or dismiss human life are frequently public and loud, it is regularly not within a “Global South” context.
There’s an essential need for the reconfiguration or balancing of that context to ensure not just fair coverage, but awareness of the interconnected nature of global events. A disaster in one place can present economic, social, political and military problems in another.
There are a wide range of stories that reveal the direct effects of political instability, climate disasters and consistent systemic neglect. These stories aren’t just confined to smaller less known countries like Haiti (where a drone attack killed 8 children), Mozambique (where several citizens were recently beheaded in an Islamic State attack amid massive climate crisis struggles), and Fiji (where the population finds itself routinely displaced by rising climate crisis-triggered waters). Their struggles are not widely known across the globe, despite the fact their suffering and silence coexist around us.
In Haiti, political instability and gang violence has left millions living in constant fear.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse’ in 2021, the manner in which these people were governed left them vulnerable to a lawless economic collapse. Political institutions struggle to maintain power. Over 64% of Haitians live on less than $3.65 a day and humanitarian organizations report that over three million children require support due to violence and extreme poverty. Children in Haiti may develop chronic malnutrition, and 66% of children under five are anemic. While international aid has attempted to intervene, there is no current hint of short-near-long term progression.
In Mozambique the human death rate is increasingly determined by climate change. Cyclones like Chido, Dikeledim and Jude have destroyed over 150,000 homes. They’ve destroyed schools, and even health facilities, leaving nearly 750,000 people affected.
Beyond the immediate destruction Mozambique has faced, flooding in the area has triggered a wide spread cholera outbreak. The repeat outbreaks present devastating threats to children.
These events are troubling, and the reality is that natural disasters disproportionately impact nations with limited sources. Wealthier countries, or the populations within them, assume they are far removed from such disruptions, for a number of reasons: detachment from and lack of empathy for those places; historic Western government exploitation; and, of course, racism. As j Siguru Wahutu Assistant Professor of Media and Genocide at New York University and David Cheruiyot Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, University of Groningen observe …
Quick question: what do these titles have in common? A Dark Continent Seeking Light; Sure, Ebola is Bad. Africa has Worse, or; Magic and Cannibalism in the African Jungle. You guessed it – they’re all about Africa. But the most correct answer is they’re all headlines that have appeared in the prestigious New York Times newspaper.
They’re just some examples of the ways that many traditional news outlets in the west have historically reported about Africa. Today news reporting that reinforces negative perceptions, stereotyping and racial misrepresentation is declining. But the harms inflicted on the continent and its communities remain unresolved.
Ideally, the intensification and existential threat of climate change across the globe should negate biased coverage, thereby encouraging greater attention to hard hit places for the overall sake of planetary and human health everywhere. Yet, it doesn’t.
Take a recent snapshot of the disparity in New York Times coverage between Africa, Israel/Gaza and Russia/Ukraine as assessed by the journal Current Affairs …
Meanwhile, Fiji’s citizens face the agonizing and relentless threat of rising sea levels. While some regions have experienced over 11 inches of sea level rise, there’s insufficient breaking down exactly what villages or small regions experienced, although we do know relevant regions and stations impacted Suva Wharf, Lautoka Wharf, and Vatia Wharf.
Relocation is the largest threat. These instances have forced entire villages to consider relocation. Despite Fiji receiving international support for climate change, financial support declined by roughly 41% in 2021–2022 where aid fell from about $609 million down to about $358 million, leaving Fiji to largely rely on resources within their country.
Haiti, Mozambique and Fiji are stark examples illustrating that global crises are all interconnected, and that communities barely persist despite the overwhelming odds of political instability, climate change and systemic neglect. Awareness is the first step towards meaningful change, while policy international aid and local action are essential to provide humane comfort that is an expressed human right. Media could be the game changer.
These nations remind us that suffering is not a statistic behind each cyclone, political upheaval or rising tide, there are real people navigating challenges. Lack of media coverage becomes neglect of shared global responsibility. When we confront these crises it’s then imperative to recognize our collective power and the consequences our actions create. As a result, greater media attention creates the environment for not only awareness, but it applies the needed pressure to build and expand global support systems.
AZARII BURGESS is a Fellow at the Civic Literacy and Media Influence Institute at Learn4Life
