Previous GNV articles have revealed various biases in Japan's international reporting. For example, the major newspapers (Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, and Mainichi Shimbun) on the amount of international coverage for 2015By Analysisand coverage of Africa and Latin America was so scant that the combined amount of coverage on these two continents was on par with coverage on France, which is only one country. similar to NHK's international coverage.A trend has been observedAlso seen in the press by topic,armed conflict, ,major incident, ,natural disaster, ,religionA significant bias has been confirmed in such areas as the following. The difference between countries and events that are reported and those that are not is extreme, and it is also clear that the amount of coverage is influenced by other factors that have almost nothing to do with the scale of the problem or damage. There are no small number of major world events and issues that receive little or no coverage.

From that status quo, seen in the above article, one comes to the conclusion that "poor countries don't get coverage. "GNV'sAnother articleSuch a trend can also be seen in the United States, where the phenomenon of "poverty" is a very serious problem in the world, yet it is hardly ever covered by the mass media. However, even though these broad trends can be seen, it is not simple. For example, even for large countries such as India, Brazil, and Indonesia, where the national GDP (gross domestic product) is relativelyNot much to report.Current Situation. These countries are large, but poverty is widespread, with comparatively low GDP per capita. It may be more accurate to say that what is not reported is not "poor countries" but "countries whose people are comparatively poor.

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While it is undeniable that there is a latent sense of discrimination based on race and class, another important factor behind this is whether or not readers/viewers are able to "empathize" with the subject of the report. The closer the race, ethnicity, language, culture, and standard of living and lifestyle of the subject of the report is to one's own situation, the easier it is to relate the event to oneself and to be interested in it. For example, people living in industrialized countries are thought to have difficulty imagining and empathizing with the lives and conditions of people living in slums where poverty is widespread or in houses made of straw in arid regions. From this perspective, it can be said that news organizations have determined that news reports on natural disasters, armed conflicts, and victims of terrorism are more likely to be of interest in Europe, where they are more familiar in terms of living standards, than in the Middle East and Africa, where they occur. As a result, socioeconomic status determines whether or not they are reported.

In terms of empathy, another factor can be mentioned. It is autocentrism. This ideology is one of the cornerstones of the policies of news organizations operating nationally. This is due to the fact that the volume of international press coverage is the total press coverage.10% or lessThis is also a factor in the fact that the content of the international press coverage has remained at a low level. Countries with strong relations with Japan in security, trade, tourism, and other areas are easy targets for news coverage. This explains why the U.S., China, and the Korean Peninsula are always heavily featured. It is not only whether they are reported, but also how they are covered. For example, when the King of Saudi Arabia visited Japan in March 2017, major Japanese news organizations focused on aspects such as business opportunities for Japanese companies in Saudi Arabia and the state of the King's wealth. However, serious human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, such as public beheadings and,Yemen Conflict (1992-1998)In the "Mere Old Man", it was rare to touch on issues such as air strikes and sea blockades by Saudi Arabia, which are causing massive famine in the region.

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In addition, the involvement of one's own nationals in all accidents and incidents that occur outside one's own country, international awards such as the Nobel Prize, and space flight are also major determinants of coverage or not. In sports coverage, it is no exaggeration to say that the involvement and performance of one's own country and its citizens is the overwhelming factor that determines coverage.

A similar trend can be seen in entertainment programs. For example, TV Tokyo's "Sekai Naze There? Japanese" is an unusual program in the sense that it takes place in a world that is rarely reported on, but that is by no means the purpose of the program. It is about finding Japanese people who live in those places and exploring how they live and why they are there,Home Pagestates that the purpose of the program is "a documentary variety that encourages people to sympathize with the activities of Japanese people overseas, to be proud of being Japanese, and to support Japan.

The nature of an event or phenomenon naturally has a bearing on whether or not it will be reported. News is inherently sensitive to sudden changes, so dramatic or sensational events are more likely to be covered. Just as deaths from traffic accidents are more likely to make the news than deaths from disease in domestic reporting, deaths from armed conflict and terrorism are more likely to be covered than deaths from starvation. The phenomenon of "poverty" is by its nature difficult to capture. In addition, the presence of emotionally moving images may change the way news coverage is done. In the midst of many children being killed in the Syrian conflict, the image of an injured child riding in an ambulance with a blank expression on his face happens to be a very moving image.Caught on camera.The example was widely covered around the world.

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However, the volume of international coverage is not only related to the situation outside the country, its connection to the home country, and the nature of the event or phenomenon, but also to the nature and practices of the news organizations themselves. For example, one factor is the ease of access to the scene of the event. If it is not possible to arrive at the scene while the story is still "fresh," the likelihood of it being reported is greatly reduced. This is especially important in the camera-based medium of television. While entry denial or danger can be a barrier to access, in most cases, distance from the news organization's base of operations and traffic conditions are the key. Temporary dispatches are also time-consuming and costly. This is where the assignment of a news organization's correspondent or branch office becomes crucial. This allocation reflects the long-term priorities and strategies of the news media. For example, NHK is not in Africa or Latin America.general branch officeare rarely established and are clearly related to the paucity of media coverage of these areas. All problems of access can be overcome if other factors are in place, such as events strongly related to one's own country, but unless there is an aspect of importance, access to the field is a major barrier to international reporting.

As described above, there are various factors that contribute to the bias in news reporting, and the result is that a very biased image of the world is delivered to readers and viewers through international reporting. While news activities based on "home-centeredness" are not necessarily a problem in themselves, it is important to look at the world objectively in order to understand it. In the age of globalization, where the world's problems are intricately intertwined, it is hard to believe that it is in the best interest of one's own country to constantly turn a blind eye to large parts of the world, mistakenly believing that the events are not relevant to one's own country. However, journalism about the world as a whole is expensive. Perhaps readers and viewers need to recognize the importance of information about the world and show the news media the demand for such information.