Minds and Culture
In the creation of media there is often a disconnection between the event or issue and the individual or team reporting it. To make that connection reporters rely on their experiences or frame of reference, elements which are culturally driven into our minds, to discern how best to present the material.
• The Seattle Times reported on Oct. 20, 2008 that “pirates” had taken over a Ukrainian vessel near Somalia. The only attempt made to identify these pirates in the article was to connect them to Somalia (where the event took place) and al-Qaida insurgents. This labeling is an obvious sign of how minds and culture affect news stories. The label “pirates” brings an exotic, primitive image to most Americans. The story also causes many to assume the pirates are trying to steal weaponry for al-Qaida, an over-simplification.
• CNN reported on Oct. 20, 2008 that a man had set a building on fire and stabbed five people to death before being arrested. At the end of the story the reporter randomly compares South Korea to Japan and talks about a completely unrelated incident that happened in Tokyo this year. This unequal and unneeded comparison is a great example of how minds and culture add information to stories. The fact that a similar incident happened in Japan this year is neither relevant nor logical in this story yet the reporter relies on it to show readers that this random violence is not necessarily uncommon in the region.
• CNN reported on Oct. 20, 2008 that Chinese workers were holding Israeli contractors ‘under siege’ on an island in the Atlantic after the “financial meltdown” destroyed the project’s budget. Lehman Brothers Holdings went bankrupt last month and is responsible for the Chinese workers wages. The story seemed to be completely written from an American mindset and gave little credence to the fact that if the Israelis were allowed to leave, those who are rebuilding Lehman Brothers will not feel they are financially responsible for the Chinese workers wages. The incident most likely received much of its coverage because it touches on the effects of recent stock market crashes and is about an exotic island.
• The Seattle PI reported on Oct. 20, 2008 that a new Caribbean naval base is going to be built by Venezuela on the coastal island of Margarita. Three aspects of the story seemed to be heavily influenced by minds and culture. First it was over-simplified as a “big naval base.” Will it be the biggest Venezuela owns? The story also holds Hugo Chavez and “Venezuela’s Russian-backed military buildup” solely responsible for the creation of “a naval base of large proportions.” This interpretation of the story seems to come from an older, American cold-war viewpoint! In some ways the reporter saved it by stating: “Chavez says a naval base there will help authorities fight drug trafficking.” This evaluation is much more desirable to many American’s yet the story hardly counts as International News.
• The Seattle PI reported on Oct. 20, 2008 that a Chinese Olympics building official involved in a corruption scandal may get his death sentence lifted. The fact that he was sentenced to death in the first place is possibly the only reason he is mentioned here. It’s quite obvious that the story shocked the reporter into reprinting it in an extremely small article. As the former “vice-mayor” and chief director of the construction agency he is also cast in a strange light as if to say how could the Chinese people let this happen? A possible death-sentence for government corruption makes the Chinese appear too strict and uncivilized from an American standpoint.
• The Seattle PI announced on Oct. 15, 2008 that Spain’s Prime Minister would be making a trip to Cuba soon. Unfortunately the reporter filled in most of the blanks with human rights. As is usual in America, the reporter categorized Cuba as a communist-run island and was uncertain of any advances they have made. Throughout the story it appears they took what fit into an American perception of Cuba, “human rights violations” and molded it into a story that should have highlighted the progress being made. Instead it states that the Prime Minister of Spain “agrees” to visit Cuba next year and that he is “satisfied with Cuba’s advances in human rights.”
• The Seattle PI reported on Sep. 27, 2008 that Congolese warlords were being put on trial in the Netherlands for the some incredibly horrendous acts committed in eastern Congo in 2003. The leaders of the “militia” which included “children soldiers” have been accused of brutally murdering over 200 people. Reporting this kind of story to American’s may not be easy but to categorize the suspects as “warlords” without explaining the tensions in the region is only a method in categorization and an inability to translate the unfamiliar. There also seemed to be a need to place these warlords as complete opposites to civilized people.
• The New York Times reported on Oct. 20, 2008 that with gas prices rising “in recent years, the leaders of Venezuela, Iran and Russia muscled their way onto the world stage, using checkbook diplomacy and, on occasion, intimidation.” Many Americans would argue that elements like “checkbook diplomacy” and “intimidation” are the only useful means of diplomacy. This cultural mindset is familiar yet impractical. The story goes on, explaining somewhat of a conspiracy theory against American influences in Latin America. Its amazing how the story portrays a union of countries using American gas dollars to block U.S. interests. There are several instances of faulty logic such as this unequal comparison; “Mr. Chávez has also used his oil money — in direct payments and through subsidized oil shipments — to win friends in the hemisphere and elsewhere.”
• The New York Times reported on Oct. 21, 2008 that India was preparing for a moon launch of an unmanned spacecraft to “assert its power in space and claim some of the business opportunities out there.” I believe this reporter even coined the term “Asian space race” because he felt that India and Asia are out-dated. Looking at Asia with this kind of cultural lens can be quite harmful. It may not be well known to this reporter, but some of the most advanced technology has come from India and many other locations in Asia. This article also expresses American competitiveness and attraction to “business opportunities.” Yes, we got there first, but it was likely with some of their technology.
• The New York Times reported on Oct. 21, 2008 that “Britain, the European Union, the United States and Australia — all of which have long been considered the sworn enemies of the junta — have led donors in a fund-raising effort that has so far provided $240 million” This reference as being sworn enemies divides us and them. Its as if the reporter is asking- why are we supporting our enemies? Feeling anxiety about helping someone who is suffering in a country that doesn’t support America is natural for most individualist Americans. There seems to be some resistance to fact that these people need help. The story is full of reports of illegal and primitive activity by American standards but talks little about the relief effort except that it is focused on very specific locations.
Bibleography
(all articles are online)
U.S. Navy: Crew held by Somali pirates healthy – Seattle Times 10/20/08
Six dead in South Korea fish knife frenzy – CNN.com 10/20/08
Report: Unpaid workers put island ‘under siege’ – CNN.com 10/20/08
Venezuela plans new Caribbean naval base – Seattle PI 10/20/08
CHINA: DEATH SENTENCE LIFTED FOR OLYMPICS BUILDING OFFICIAL – Seattle PI 10/20/08
SPAIN: PRIME MINISTER AGREES TO VISIT CUBA NEXT YEAR – Seattle PI 10/15/08
CONGOLESE WARLORDS FACE CHARGES IN VILLAGE ATTACK – Seattle PI 9/27/08
3 Oil-Rich Countries Face a Reckoning – The New York Times 10/20/2008
India Prepares Moon Launch – The New York Times 10/21/2008
Post-Cyclone Aid Divides Myanmar Between the Helped and the Helpless – The New York Times 10/20/2008