Scales of death and coverage by the media.

[ben_packard]

I was discussing with my sister why it is that 30,000 children dying a day gets an honorable mention occasionally while tragedy in an 'event' form like 9/11 is covered to the point of saturation, along with the repurcussions which seem to shape US foreign policy to this day.

We came up with a few possible factors:

- Compatriotism. There appears to be a sliding scale ranging from fellow nationals, through those who share our so-called values or state of development (UK, Europe, etc) down to those in the third world (Africa etc) or with different values (Mid-East)

- Fatalities. The sheer scale of the number killed by the Tsunami elevated it to international prominence (though still not comparable to 9/11 coverage)

- Spectacle. Extremely grim, but video footage of things like the Tsunami and the WTC collapsing may be of some consequence. Thousands dying from starvation isn't as 'telegenic'.

What other factors might determine what is deemed important enough to cover, and which of those I've suggested is most important?

PS I understand using words like 'telegenic' and 'spectacle' might cause offense and apologise in advance for my lack of more tactful pseudonyms.