Self-Awareness Among News Groups

For a while now I have been following an ongoing conflict in Tanzania, regarding the murdering of albinos for the sale of their body parts. My investigation often leads me to international news broadcasting websites, mostly because the story is rarely, if ever, tracked by United States news groups, such as Fox or CNN. My most recent finding is from SBS Dateline, a multi-award winning international current affairs program which provides stories for Australians about life beyond Australia’s shores. Upon watching the video report, I noticed some differences between SBS's manner of reporting, when compared to that within the U.S.

The SBS Dateline program is presented by George Negus, one of Australia’s most respected journalists, and is made up of a team of acclaimed producers and ‘video journalists’. Introducing their report on "The Skin Trade", Negus begins, "Good day, and welcome again to tonight—a focus on Africa, one so often bypassed by we media types."

The reason for why hearing Negus' introduction was so surprising to me, was because it illustrated a sense of self-awareness that is commonly absent among news groups, particularly those in the U.S. Essentially, Negus is admitting that world events, particularly those in Africa, are often neglected the proper attention they deserve by more "Western" news groups from the First World. Expressing this notion prior the story on the "skin trade" is extremely significant, because it is a story that evokes much sympathy and a desire to help. By introducing the story in such a way, Negus alludes to the idea that horrific situations, such as the one in Tanzania, occur often in Africa, and are just as often neglected by Western media, and therefore, the Western world.

Negus more objective style of reporting is common among international news groups, however often rare in U.S. media. This style is very refreshing because it expresses the truths of media coverage in the Western world. If the media's job is to inform, they seem even more credible when they take a critical shot at themselves. It is my hope that this sort of understanding can permeate media in the U.S., in turn, offering a more objective and worldly reporting of news.