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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be wondering why my BBC news feed if full of storm Irma stuff?

142 replies

DoryDingDong · 10/09/2017 19:50

I don't live in Florida, is there so little UK news to report that we have to obsess over the weather in another country?
Also, why so much coverage of this particular storm when so many more horrendous natural disasters go un reported all over the world?
Is this that news worthy or has the media lost perspective entirely?

AIBU to be wondering why my BBC news feed if full of storm Irma stuff?
OP posts:
Original poster
DoryDingDong · 10/09/2017 20:32

Ok
Perspective
Itsallabouttheplace - I know it's the UK media reporting it! What on earth made you think it was anything else?
This storm is not the ONLY thing happening in this big wide world of ours right now.
This storm IS news worthy, absolutely it is but I would also like to hear what is happening elsewhere!
My opinion of the news coverage within the US comes from my many years growing up there and through my American citizen parents.
I am getting the impression from our UK media that the storm hitting Florida is somehow more newsworthy than the storm hitting and destroying the islands. Why?
I feel the media constantly tries to mould how much importance we give to these things based on how they report it.
It's awful, no doubt about that but I don't like being made to feel that a Floridian life lost is more tragic than someone from one of the islands and that's what I'm getting from the volume of coverage this afternoon / evening.

OP posts:
ItsAllAboutThePace · 10/09/2017 20:33

this particular op seems to lack the capacity to 'scroll' and 'read' i'm afraid

BIWI · 10/09/2017 20:33

I am getting the impression from our UK media that the storm hitting Florida is somehow more newsworthy than the storm hitting and destroying the islands. Why

Because the storm has now passed the islands. And is now causing havoc in the US.

user327854831 · 10/09/2017 20:34

Because it's the biggest hurricane in a decade and it's threatening a lot of damage/loss of life.

BIWI · 10/09/2017 20:35

Also, OP, you could try turning the television on? If you go to BBC 24 or any one of the 24 hour new stations you'll find that there's been plenty of coverage of the earthquake in Mexico as well as other news stories.

Although you'll have to put up with their constant (how irritating!) live reports from where the hurricane is currently actually happening

boys3 · 10/09/2017 20:35

lost perspective entirely?

love the unintended irony

BeALert · 10/09/2017 20:35

Yesterday my BBC news feed was full of stories about Irma hitting the Caribbean and especially Cuba.

Baffling.

It's almost as if hurricanes move, or something.

ItsAllAboutThePace · 10/09/2017 20:35

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Ankleswingers · 10/09/2017 20:37

YABVU.

This is affecting millions of people of all nationalities; what colour a persons skin is has no relevance whatsoever.

I have family who live in Florida. 40 minutes drive from South Beach.

They are terrified for their lives. We have lost communication today, as the power went off there whilst we were on the telephone.

There are people who have died in this storm.

You are being completely unreasonable.Angry

BeALert · 10/09/2017 20:37

I am getting the impression from our UK media that the storm hitting Florida is somehow more newsworthy than the storm hitting and destroying the islands. Why?

I'm not getting that impression from either the UK media or the US media.

SingaSong12 · 10/09/2017 20:39

I only agree insofar as the hurricane has had more coverage than other natural disasters. The monsoons are fatal every year, apparently this is the worst in the last 15 years though. It doesn't seem to have quite the coverage, especially not coverage of Nepal and Bangladesh which have less resources than India to deal with it, and might need the same type of aid as the smaller islands in the Caribbean. So far 1400 people have died, which while deaths occur every year is high at this point in the monsoons.

www.itv.com/news/2017-09-08/indian-floods-families-devastated-after-unprecedented-monsoon-season/

KenAdams · 10/09/2017 20:40

There's not much to report on the islands because they can't get messages out. There are parts of Cuba where the only road into and out of certain cities has been destroyed. Nobody can get there to assess the damage and if they can it can't be communicated to the outside world.

BIWI · 10/09/2017 20:41

I don't like being made to feel that a Floridian life lost is more tragic than someone from one of the islands

Are you really serious? This is a horrible thing to say.

Original poster
DoryDingDong · 10/09/2017 20:41

Ok I see this is more important because because we know people there and we have lots of connections with the place.
Makes sense then! These humans are more important than the Mexicans last week etc etc.
Call me all the insulting names you like but I don't think I'm the one with the empathy issues.

OP posts:
BIWI · 10/09/2017 20:42

No, but you are the one with the stupidity issues.

JadeT2 · 10/09/2017 20:43

Most news apps work by prioritising things more people are clicking on too. So people are probably interested in this story, as most people tend to have a morbid curiosity with natural disasters. I've been watching CNN all day which has only covered the hurricane. If BBC 24 was doing that then you'd have a point but you're basing this thread on the BBC app/website.

GaryGilmoresEyes · 10/09/2017 20:44

Of course it's newsworthy!
My family live in Oregon. It's on fire, hardly anything in the news about it though. I find that weird.
I have other family in Florida and am worried sick.
My friend has been in Cuba on holiday. After a few tense days we've heard she's ok.
The Manchester bomb and London Bridge and Grenfell Tower all hit my Dad's news station.
It's news. Its terrible. It's heartbreaking. Have some compassion

TizzyDongue · 10/09/2017 20:44

Earth quakes and hurricanes create different types of news reporting. Earthquakes tend to be one big destructive event, followed by aftershocks. Hurricanes are continuously destructive.

The earthquake was in the news, and still is - there are less updates as there's not much in the way of news alters as there's no changes happening.

Original poster
DoryDingDong · 10/09/2017 20:44

KenAdams
That makes sense. I hope when possible the media focus just as much attention at these places so they can get the aid they need.

OP posts:
Original poster
DoryDingDong · 10/09/2017 20:46

JadeT2
Nope not just app, BBC and Sky News channels

OP posts:
AccrualIntentions · 10/09/2017 20:46

It's not just about the US though - some of the small islands such as Barbuda (which I must admit to not having heard of before this hurricane) have been completely destroyed. It's a disaster on a huge scale. The earthquake in Mexico is also devastating but not on such a huge scale, hence it's been the no.2 item on the news where no.1 is Irma.

BeALert · 10/09/2017 20:46

Most news apps work by prioritising things more people are clicking on too. So people are probably interested in this story, as most people tend to have a morbid curiosity with natural disasters. I've been watching CNN all day which has only covered the hurricane. If BBC 24 was doing that then you'd have a point but you're basing this thread on the BBC app/website.

Indeed. If you were to look at the Times of India news page you'd get the impression there's no hurricane in the US at all...

MehMehAndMeh · 10/09/2017 20:48

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-latin-america-41219113/mexico-earthquake-drone-reveals-aftermath

Yup. Zero reporting of Mexico, Didn't find a thing.

BabychamSocialist · 10/09/2017 20:48

I suspect it being such a huge storm and the fact it's hitting a place where a lot of British families holiday is a big part of the coverage. Also, it pretty much devastated the British Virgin Islands. I don't see how it isn't newsworthy. The world exists outside of Britain, you know!

BIWI · 10/09/2017 20:48

I hope when possible the media focus just as much attention at these places so they can get the aid they need.

You do realise that aid gets to places without media focus, don't you?

People and governments don't just sit around waiting for the BBC to make them aware that their help is needed!