The Boston bombing was of course a big news story. But if it had occurred in Jakarta or Seoul, would it have even been reported at all? Similarly, if a fertiliser plant in Malaysia, rather than Texas, had blown up, would it have rated a mention on the BBC or Sky? Our news broadcasters are so obsessed with America that any minor incident involving a shooting or stabbing in a school merits blanket 24/7 coverage. Did you know that there was a major earthquake in Pakistan on Wednesday killing 24? What about the even bigger quake in Iran on Tuesday. Or the 24 Afghans who died in an attack on Tuesday? When was the last time you heard a news story about South America that wasn’t about President Kirchner and the Falklands? These stories should be covered properly by the BBC but they’re not. If you want good, all-encompassing world news you have to go to Al Jazeera English. Try it.
