How does the media measure deaths?

[NJOK]

Seen that big news story this week? Just an average day? Lots of innocent people killed? Huge news across the world?

No, not the shootings in Virginia. I mean the attack on a market in Iraq that killed 140 people. One hundred and forty! Plus, another 50 that day and another 11 the following day. That's 200 civilians killed in 2 days. Not exactly front page news though was it?

It reminded me of a train crash in Calcutta a few years ago in which nearly 300 people died. It was on page 6 of the Times.

I'm trying to work out a rough formula for the importance that the media places on deaths across the world. I'd say it's roughly:

1 Brit = 10 Americans = 100 Indians = 500 Africans.

Is that about right would you say?

[Joe_the_Lion]

As you asking a question, please do not be critical of my response.

1 Brit = 100 million muslims.
1 Brit = 1 of any other race/religion.

And also by the time you finish reading this, I imagine about 100 Africans have died of malaria, AIDS or starvation. (Do you remember the advert with clicking fingers?)

[ludwig]

I get your point NJOK, but what are you saying - that the newsworthiness of an event should be directly related to the number of deaths, irrespective of any other consideration, such as where it happened and in what circumstances?

[jenstar]

I suppose part of it is to do with how easy it is for media vultures, er, reporters, to get to the scene. If it's somewhere they can't get a thousand people in within three hours, forget it.

[kat83]

i agree with what your saying, i may be wrong but maybe the media dont try and portray the deaths of x amount of indians as less important as a brits death, but as we are in britain and a very high percentage british, thats where our initial interests lie in. Not trying to say the death of a person of a different nationality is any less important or less relevant to that of a british person, just we may have an initial vested interest in the welfare of british people! Hope i got my point across without confusion!

[stokeace]

at the end of the day the killings in iraq are self inflicted by a race that does not want to be civilised no matter how many uk and us lives are lost our brave troops are dying for a lost cause.the innocent victims in virginia were the victims of a deranged individual with a grudge it seems aginst them being young,drinking,having money etc,etc this type of thing has been going on for years does anyone remember michael ryan going on a similar rampage in hungerford?that atrocity seems to have been forgotten.

[jump79]

I think it also depends on the country you are looking at, for example, if 1 Brit dies in Iraq, its breaking news in UK. I doubt its front page news anywhere else in the world, especially not Iraq.

The recent huge death toll in Iraq would definitely be the top story in Iraq but then it happens so often there, it wouldn't have much of the shock value as it would anywhere else.