to think that nearly 200 people being killed in Nigeria should be more newsworthy

[ElaineBenes]

What happened in Kano over the weekend is not even on the front pages of the so called international news websites like the BBC. I've had to search for any reporting on it.

Can you imagine if such a thing had happened to people in a rich country?

I think it's really sad that Africans dying isn't considered newsworthy. Are we really that racist?

It's not purely racism. It's about how many connections there are linking the event to Britain and British people that contributes to a news story's ranking in media outlets.

Other newsworthiness factors include
(a) whether it was a highly unusual event or a 'first'
(b) was there eye-catching video/photo footage
(c) how many people it could impact on
(d) how easy is it to explain the essence of the story, understand what has happened and why
(e) did it have a feel-good factor

Of course that is the joy of citizens being able to make their own news, as seen Twitter, and if they write it well enough and captivate people's imaginations (even in 140 characters) the event can receive more publicity without going through a media outlets' factors which give the story its 'importance ranking'.

For instance, the November/December story about women in Saudi defying the law and driving, didn't receive any publicity until it had been running on Twitter for a few days.

It had quite a lot of coverage on Radio 4, and I don't agree that not covering a story necessarily makes us "racist".

I agree with Caramel though that there is a big picture story that is going unreported here.

Roundtable, stop inciting things, doh.

Take the placard elsewhere, I believe there's a spot in Oxford Street.

Oh dear mojito resorting to personal attacks and still not answering the questions.

I don't have a placard and I'm certainly not inciting things.

I just wanted you to answer a question as I found your posts rather odd. Including the one that talks about these countries.

But you don't seem to have any answers. Other posters who have answered the OP's question thinking that it is not racist are mostly giving thought out explanations.

Sweeping generalisations don't help give what you say any credibility.

My OH is English.
He is second generation Guyanese.

So his Englishness doesnt go back that far.
He is still English though.

Why do people use that phrase 'I dont care if you are black, white or [insert colour that no human being has ever been] ? It doesnt make any sense and IME it is only ever used by people who do actually care quite a lot what colour someone is.

Oh dear round, still at it I see

elaine yes i think there is some racism in new coverage. Radio 4 has covered it to some extent but i think there is generally an element of 'thats what happens in Africa'.

whens the last time you heard a good news story being reported from an African country?

What on earth did fabby say??

Thank you OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere I quite agree. Am I going mad? My question hasn't been answered yet has it?

I think I'm going to stop engaging with your prattle mojito as you're not actually adding anything to the discussion apart from thinly veiled insults.

The only reason we are still having any sort of correspondence is because I asked you a question umpteen posts ago which you keep evading. So it is pointless trying to have a sensible exchange of ideas.

I only hope that someone more persuasive than me will be able to get through to you, even just a little bit.

I'm sure you'll try to have the last word so enjoy them.

Why do people use that phrase 'I dont care if you are black, white or [insert colour that no human being has ever been] ? It doesnt make any sense and IME it is only ever used by people who do actually care quite a lot what colour someone is

?????

Having racism comments thrown down ones throat constantly is the the thing that tends to stick.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere totally agree part of DPs family are British Indian. i was recently told 'i dont care if they are hindu or muslim' by some ignorant person who basically meant 'i dont like them & they are all the same anyway'.

(they arent even religious)

Fabby is so hateful it is unbelievable

At the end of the day, yes this is a predominantly white country that over the last 20 years has been swamped, and yes it has been swamped by many creeds and colours etc. It takes time to integrate who ever you are and where ever you are. Screaming racism isn't the way to go. Now that's a fact. I wouldn't expect to go to another country and demand things which are demanded of us [yes, white english] from many many generations. So my advice is slow down, get the placard off, slowly but surely is the way to go. Mingle and mix. Don't shout and scream

mojitomania its not sticking enough... in your throat

....because people in the Uk don't really care what happens in Africa.
that's the truth of the matter. An uncomfortable one but the truth all the same.

"Having racism comments thrown down ones throat constantly is the the thing that tends to stick." - I know. And the vast majority of people suffering from racist comments aren't white.

I'm white British about as plain vanilla as its possible to be. Having a child who isn't has been an eye opener about what racism people suffer from. Mojito, I can't tell what colour you are from my screen but if you are white then please stop with pseudo-racism (is that a word?!) nonsense if you don't want to look very self-indulgent.

and the only shouting and screaming I've experienced has been at my son. Not from him.

"IME it is only ever used by people who do actually care quite a lot what colour someone is" tee hee MrsDV thats so true!

Coldweb, i think fabby has problems. She was in a forum a while back and admitted she's bi-polar so everyone attacking her probably isn't doing her any good. She says vile stuff most of the time, then every now and again she has a "lightbulb" moment. I think we need to be kind to her rather than horrid... Its a hard one, but that's how I feel about fabby and I do tend to try to stick up for her a bit because I tend to worry about her.

Maybe I'm wrong

and yes Nancy - sadly I think you're right.

Maybe its more basic than racism - they don't have any real celebs in Africa.

kewcumber, i could tell you experiences that would make you want to cry that happened to me because i was a vanilla and growing up in shepherds bush.. so let's just rest our case huh.

People are calling us racists for absolutely anything now.

Nonsense OP absolute nonsense.

why do you think it wasn't reported then fog? And people are not calling you racist, we are discussing whether there is a racist element to news reporting. Its a discussion.

I agree that racism is definitely a factor here, coupled with caring less about those in the world with less economic influence.

mojito - Just because we live in a majority-white country, why on earth should we care less about black foreign people than white foreign people?