Fed up of foreign news dominating our news

[sickofthenews]

I do realise the unrest in the Middle East is significant, but every bulletin is dominated by the minutiae of it.

I want to see more of what's going on here, more of what's going on in our government.

Surely there's news here?

And this is the problem. This is what they call local news when we have real issues to report. They won't report those but point us to others.

Other countries' news is what you should look up and google. Our news is what should be on our doorstep and not searched for. It seems to be the other way round. A grown woman should know this.

I agree OP. I know you can click on ‘local news’ but the main news bulletins are leading with 20 mins or so with the Middle East. In fact, rather than creating interest, I think it creates ‘compassion fatigue’ and makes audiences disengage. My theory is that they send reporters etc to the area and then have to justify the costs by continual coverage. Why do the news anchors/ reporters need to fly in when there are perfectly capable local reporters who probably have a far better idea of the actual situation?

Here’s what I’d like to see more about - more coverage of the increase in violence against women and an analysis of the causes; deterioration of our urban landscapes and more about disaffected youngsters and knife crime; homelessness; the impact ( good and bad) of immigration and other countries’ attitudes; Brexit - the good and the bad; infrastructure - the decimation of the countryside by pylons and solar farms; food security; climate change effects on the UK; maternity crisis; the discussions around a new curriculum in schools (consultations going on at the moment, how to get involved)… I could go on and on about issues that are immediate and I’d love to have some reliable figures and facts rather than this ‘black hole’ narrative and Kier Starmer’s bloody Taylor Swift tickets.

Neither I nor the OP are saying ignore the Middle East or Ukraine. It’s the blanket coverage every night to the exclusion of other issues. And I also read newspapers from other countries (one where I used to live and one from DH’s home country) and they do primarily focus on their own issues first with a section for overseas news. It’s about balance.

The media jump on whatever is happening in the moment.

Next month the Middle East will take a back seat to the US election. And if Trump doesn’t get in then it’ll be the riots.

The media definitely don’t just talk about what’s the most important news, they talk about what’s happening in the now.

When the Ukraine Russia war started we had 24/7 coverage of it, and then when Hamas invaded Israel and the associated fallout that dominated the news and has done so ever since not because it’s the most important thing in the world but because nothing that significant has happened yet to knock it off of the top spot.

But there has been war in the Middle East for decades. There always has been and there always will be. And it’s not black and white, even if some here want to believe it is. And neither is Russia and Ukraine, but the media only ever report in such a way as to make people think there’s a side to choose.

Ukraine is easier to do that because Putin is a head case and because we don’t want to provoke him any more.

But there is politics and fault on both sides of the Middle East conflict. And nothing is ever going to change that.

British News for British People!

The fact that people are taking piss out of someone in UK who would like more UK issues coverage is quite a testament of why this country dropped so much.

Leave it to the "You're a bigot because I say so" brigade to say that the country is shit because people don't think 'forriners are more awesomer' so let's sit and handwring and post on mumsnet about what's happening to them, but ignore the actual help we can give to our neighbours, local shelters, the housing crisis, people being plunged into poverty, the NHS crisis, waiting times and long waiting lists, govt leaders' corruption, etc.

Those damn blasted furriners inconveniently being murdered in a war. Don't they realise we don't like furren news over in good ol' blighty?

Quieten down in the cheap seats 🙄

And there lies the problem. How would you know the actual issues when they don't cover it but tell you there's bigger issues elsewhere? Yes we are relatively at peace but if you think the cat stuck up a tree is the biggest issue, you've fallen for the (popular) news - both literally and metaphorically.

Which war just out of curisity?

OP, you do realise that "foreign news" impacts on the UK too? The conflict in the ME is likely to have global repercussions.

@HollyLollyMollyJolly but I didn't say the only news was political. I said "parliament isn't sitting at the moment, which will be having an impact on news I guess" which I think is true. When parliament is sitting there is more domestic news than when it isn't, because it is an extra "thing" going on.

And I was being sarcastic about the excitement of the Tory leadership contest.

its not meant to be serious. If you don’t realise that there really is no hope.

Yes, and what is wrong with that? Is it supposed to be American news for British people? Why should it be x country's news for British people and not British news for British people?

Is it British news for Ukranian people? Is it British news for Chinese people? Isn't it normal to have your country's news for your country people with a sprinkle of other news about others from all over the world, not just a select few?

Funny you say this. They do cycle through news stories to keep up variety. On slow news days they start up with China threatening Taiwan, on completely dead news days it’s climate change. A few years back they used dying bees on the slow news days. I bet they are relieved when a hurricane shows up somewhere

And what about the murders happening in every other part of the world, do you know about them? What about the murders happening in the UK?

How many murders of other countries have you solved in the news by knowing about them or does it feel better to 'ooh and aah', then go about your business?

What did I say that made you think I didn't understand that?

What I said was I was fed up of the daily reporting taking up the majority of news reports. Every day to the exclusion of just about everything else.

The world is bigger than the Middle East?

Why do people keep saying 'I know right?'

Even if its supposed to be ironic/mocking/sarcastic, its fairly jarring.

Feel like I am in American high school.

Not very edifying for supposedly adult women.

Is the uk dealing with deaths of the numbers reported in the papers today - this is real news impacting real people.

“In the course of these past 12 months many atrocities have been committed, starting with the killing by Palestinians of 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians, followed by the Israeli army killing more than 41,000 Palestinians, including more than 17,000 women and children, 287 aid workers and 138 journalists and media workers.”

I agree actually - I am interested in what's happening here, and what our new government are doing.
Although I'm horrified about what's happening in the middle east, I'm finding the coverage of the American election really dull. A bit of balance would be good.

The war in the Middle East could have huge implications for the UK.
for starters major supply chains that brings goods to us could be disrupted making said goods much more expensive and therefore affecting your very pocket.
if God forbid it became global imagine the implications for us and the continent?

it is hugely significant. Also, I invite you to watch BBC breakfast in the mornings which has a variety of local stories.

I’m concerned that all those arms supplied by Britain to the Middle East will be one day used against us! And in my view it’s a double standard to supply arms and complain when they are used to kill people. caat.org.uk/challenges/

It's the lead news story because it's the issue which could have the largest impact on the most people. The Middle East conflict is already impacting our economy and security. And all news bulletins follow global news with domestic news anyway.

I like to be informed about news, nationally and internationally, and I listen, watch and read very extensively. I'm sure that I don't know about all news across the whole of the globe. But I know a lot. I'm not xenophobic, FYI 🙂

I've never said ooh and aah about any murder or any piece of news, for that matter

I dont know what you mean about me "solving" murders so I can't answer that query. 😬

Wow are you for real?

These threads are painful, the ignorance about the region is just staggering.