danieldwilliam: (Default)
[personal profile] danieldwilliam

There are two current news stories that I don’t understand. I don’t understand why they are getting the airplay they are are. 

The first is the unwellness of Fabrice Muamba. 

I think that a person collapsing in front of thousands of people is certainly news worthy but I don’t quite understand the requirement for constant updates. 

Whilst Mr Muamba seems like a decent enough guy and a skilled sportsman I don't see him as sitting in the nation's conscious as much as, say a former Prime Minister or an Archbishop.

I’m not receiving constant updates on the other 750 odd people who had a heart attack that day. What is it about Mr Muamba that marks him out for special attention?

The other story is the shooting and subsequent manhunt and siege in Toulouse. 

Whilst the original event was certainly newsworthy it’s a slightly unusual police action in a foreign country which happens to be having an important election. 

I'd be willing to bet that as I type or as you read this some bizarre crime is being perpertrated somewhere in the world or that the police are struggling to find the perpertrator of a bizarre crime or are engaged in a shoot out with the perpertrator of a bizarre crime. Not all of them are on my news everytime I look.

It’s not that I don’t care but bad things happen to people all the time so what makes these particular events so momentous that I need to have a network of journalists reporting each small progression (or lack or progression) in the story as if the drip feeding of information to me was valuable. 

My question isn’t so much what makes these events news worthy but what makes them worthy of rolling coverage?

Date: 2012-03-22 01:39 pm (UTC)
andrewducker: (Default)
From: [personal profile] andrewducker
People feel attachment to those people they spend time with. By watching this particular player play, cheer him on, or cheer against him, argue over his performance in the pub afterwards, etc. many people feel an attachment to him which isn't as great as if they spend literal time with him, but is greater than they feel for any politician or archbishop.

Date: 2012-03-22 02:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] danieldwilliam.livejournal.com
I'm happy to conceed that he may be more iconic than I think he is.

I'd never heard of him until he fell ill.

Date: 2012-03-22 02:02 pm (UTC)
andrewducker: (Default)
From: [personal profile] andrewducker
Me either. But then the entire England squad could sit at the next table and I wouldn't recognise any of them.

Date: 2012-03-22 02:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] danieldwilliam.livejournal.com
The thing is I don’t not follow football.

I’ve pay less attention in the last few years (and he is a young young man).

You would recongise the England team. Ten men and a monkey in a Massarati.

Date: 2012-03-22 02:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alitheapipkin.livejournal.com
I'm glad I swallowed the mouthful of water I'd just taken before I read that!

Date: 2012-03-22 02:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] danieldwilliam.livejournal.com
Probably for the best.

Profile

danieldwilliam: (Default)
danieldwilliam

May 2025

S M T W T F S
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18 192021222324
25262728293031

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 28th, 2025 04:35 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios