Agreed. And we seriously have to question Japanese citizens' reporting as well - the one that Western media is heavily relying on - instead of taking official and apparently down-tuned communication of the Japanese gvt. as a standard - and we must not appreciate any news pieces that aim to show the world the true extent of tragedy and grief!
Agnes, I'm not saying that Western media are completely wrong and Japanese media are completely right. I'm also not saying that no pictures should be shown of devastated regions and the like. But what the article is saying - I what I agree with - is that you should try and see the issue through the eyes of the population that is concerned. He was a bit relativist in some of his statements, but I think the essence is correct: We should try and focus on the situation as it is perceived by the local population. Instead, most of what I see in Western media, for example the BBC, is - MELTDOWN - no meltdown - MELTDOWN - no meltdown. A little bit of cultural understanding would definitely benefit our media. This holds true for China coverage too, by the way.
Agreed. And we seriously have to question Japanese citizens' reporting as well - the one that Western media is heavily relying on - instead of taking official and apparently down-tuned communication of the Japanese gvt. as a standard - and we must not appreciate any news pieces that aim to show the world the true extent of tragedy and grief!
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese Prime Minister however was not so phlegmatic when he spoke to the TEPco-- "What the hell is going on"
ReplyDeleteAgnes, I'm not saying that Western media are completely wrong and Japanese media are completely right. I'm also not saying that no pictures should be shown of devastated regions and the like. But what the article is saying - I what I agree with - is that you should try and see the issue through the eyes of the population that is concerned. He was a bit relativist in some of his statements, but I think the essence is correct: We should try and focus on the situation as it is perceived by the local population.
ReplyDeleteInstead, most of what I see in Western media, for example the BBC, is - MELTDOWN - no meltdown - MELTDOWN - no meltdown. A little bit of cultural understanding would definitely benefit our media. This holds true for China coverage too, by the way.