I am NEWS junkie. I enjoy reading the latest NEWS, from local to International, mostly for its news value and angle. Each reporter approaches his or her news story from a different perspective which I appreciate and enjoy. I also enjoy discussing the latest news with American friends when staying in Florida.
It came with considerable surprise then, when in Vero Beach with friends, we were discussing the latest American news when one of them asked, ”Why is it that you, Canadians, know so much about us in the States, yet we know very little about you and life in Canada?” They further made reference to the many Canadians who vacation where we were staying and who express knowledgeable views about American current events. To them, Canadians seem to be more knowledgeable of American history, its political world and can confidently comment about American society, but Americans can’t reciprocate as their knowledge of Canada seems limited.
This conversation and others, piqued my curiosity and interest and I decided to dig deeper into this news knowledge matter. Americans hear a great deal about “Fake News.” They don’t have other news stories to compare with, and they don’t really care about that. Many people have been so indoctrinated into believing that there is no real news to listen to that they turn off the dial. When I pointed out this attitude to our friends, it became crystal clear to me that they and the rest of America they do not want to hear any news from outside their own country. They are simply not even interested. They are told often enough that their country is the greatest, their currency is the best and their people are the most outstanding in the entire world. This type of attitude runs deep in American society. Therefore, they don’t need to know, they don’t want to know news stories associated with other parts of the world, including their closest neighbour. They are totally absorbed with themselves.
American news, opinions and commentaries are broadcast all day and every day on CNN, FOX NEWS, NBC, the list goes on but foreign news stories are not readily available. For example, the only Canadian news outlet I could find was through CBC streamed from Winnipeg and heard in three border towns in Montana at midnight each evening. International news could be heard via the BBC and again only at midnight. There are simply no news outlets for Americans to plug into if they so choose. But most often, they do not have the desire to engage in foreign news outlets. They don’t want to know what’s happening outside their borders, because they firmly believe that they are the greatest nation on earth. Therefore, foreign news outlets are not needed in the States. They have enough of their own news to digest.
Éva
