Worthy and Unworthy

How the Media Reports on Friends and Foes

Devan Hawkins

• Publisher: Iff Books
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781803416052
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: International Relations
• Index: Social Sciences

What geopolitical events are worthy of media attention? In an ideal world, the answer to this question would be based on the merit of the event. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Media attention throughout the Western world too often reflects and reinforces Western government's geopolitical orientations. Building on Edward Herman, Noam Chomsky, and other scholars who have examined biased media coverage, Worthy and Unworthy presents case studies depicting how media coverage of events in foreign countries differs depending on whether a country is a geopolitical enemy or an ally of the United States. The book presents case studies comparing coverage in the New York Times of comparable geopolitical events that have occurred in geopolitical allies of the United States and non-allied countries. As the systematic analysis of both the amount of coverage these events received and the nature of the coverage shows, the Times' coverage creates worthy and unworthy events with hyperfocus being given to geopolitical events in non-allied countries and less focus given to the events in friendly countries. While the book focuses on the New York Times, an analysis of coverage from other media outlets shows that the Times is not alone in this tendency. Our view of geopolitical events is shaped by the media we consume. If you're concerned about the Western media's coverage of geopolitical events and whether it encourages some of the worst and most harmful aspects of US foreign policy, understanding the biases in media coverage is essential. With an increased understanding of these biases, we can help reduce them.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. Worthy and Unworthy Memories
• Chapter 2. Worthy and Unworthy Protests in Asia: Hong Kong and Kashmir, 2019
• Chapter 3. Worthy and Unworthy Protests in South America: 2019 Venezuelan Protests, 2019–2020 Bolivian Protests, and 2019–2021 Colombian Protests
• Chapter 4. Worthy and Unworthy Dissidents: Alexei Navalny, Catalan Independence Politicians, Pussy Riot, and Pablo Hasél
• Chapter 5. Worthy and Unworthy Interventions: Russia in Syria and Saudi Arabia in Yemen
• Chapter 6. Worthy and Unworthy Disputes: the Chagos Islands, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea
• Chapter 7. Worthy and Unworthy Around the World
• Conclusion
• Appendix
• References
• Back Cover