This article appeared in the Melbourne Age newspaper. What do you guys think of the article? Is it true or has there been a big coverage?

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/...4561150956.html

It's long been true that if it doesn't involve Americans, then it doesn't count for much in the media in the US. So millions of Africans can die in a conflict, and it hardly warrants a mention. A couple of Americans get killed on Safari, and that's a big story. So it's not surprising that this story just barely burst the surface here, until Bush commented on it to buttress his world view, such as it is.

There have traditionally been much closer ties between the UK and Australia, and even News Corp, which owns a number of UK papers and other media outlets is based in Australia, so there is even more resources available for coverage.

Most Americans are startlingly ignorant of geography, much less actual events in other parts of the world. You would think after 9/11 this would have changed dramatically, but I don't think so.

When our President set the tone during the campaign with numerous examples of arrogant ignorance of the world, he revealed the igrorance and arrogance many Americans proudly wear on their sleeves about world affairs.

Some of this can be attributed to the idea that we are the biggest/richest/righteous country in the world, but that's no excuse in my book. The information is available for us if we want to look for it. Yet the media continues to frenzy over local stories that in porportion have far less of an impact, because they provide more of a dramatic arc with pictures and anchors being "on the scene."

The ability of the media to sway the American public can be illustrated by the complete change in a couple of weeks as to what our national #1 fear is: getting shot by a sniper. That has in fact replaced terrorism, while the truth that bellying up to the fast-food bar is far more likely to result in fatal harm than a sniper's bullet or a terrorist bomb.

But let's not let facts get in the way of our feelings! At least that's what I'd be willing to tell Trent Green when he tells me he's straight...!

Actually I have seen a good deal of coverage on this yesterday & today . Maybe not as much as it deserved - It just was not an immediate response- which could be criticized- or could be due to the distance(geographically & culturally).

I've been embarassed at how little coverage this horrific act has generated here in the Bay Area. The lead story on Sunday morning's local news coverage was a watermain break.

Until you've been there, Australia isn't on most Americans radar screen. We got *no* coverage of this years parliamentary elections whatsoever.

Luckily for those of us paying attention to the Bali story and other stories affecting our great Australian friends, the internet serves up the coverage the American press misses.

Heartfelt condolences to the entire Austrailan nation. I'm sorry you've had to go through this.

It's been covered regularly and extensively here in the New York area, in the TV and print media. It was even in the Jersey City and Newark-area newspapers.

My condolences go out to all the victims of this horror, wherever they were from. Australians, Indonesians, Britons, Germans, and people from all over the world who were slaughtered or injured in this terrible act.

I've been following it in lots of articles. the fact is, it's not going to be on the top of the washingtonpost.com page until they catch the sniper (see other thread).

I originally didn't realize this would be Al Qaeda connected, when that was released, I think it got a lot more press coverage. I don't think it's been that different than I would expect a tourist site bombing in the US to be covered in Australia.

I'm closing this because we already have a Bali-related thread. Go to this one to read the posts there so far.