Hannah Diffee
Professor Reppert
Foreign Language Media in America
Sept. 2024
Position Paper 1 - Perspectives of 'Local' News
'Local' News Around the World
News agendas vary from country to country. In some authoritarian regimes, the government controls the press. Access to accurate information may be limited, and journalists could be harmed, persecuted, or threatened for criticizing the government (
Global Investigative Journalism Network). The
Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 61 media professionals have been killed in 2024 due to murder or dangerous assignments.
While subjects like pop culture, sports, and entertainment are popular worldwide, the specific topics that "trend" depend on a country's culture, political landscape, religion, and overall values.
Google Trends is a tool that compares the popularity of Google Search queries between different regions. These queries can help users determine what is trending in certain countries. For example, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is a frequently-searched term in places where soccer is popular, such as South America, Ethiopia, and Europe.
*Image Contains Link*
News outlets in the countries listed above frequently share soccer articles, and the support for professional soccer teams there mirrors the support American fans show NFL teams. The image below highlights the "Sports" section of
Hespress, a Moroccan news website. Soccer is the most covered sport on the site, whereas many American outlets focus on American football, basketball, or baseball. This demonstrates the cultural differences in sports coverage.
Belgium
Belgium, a country in Northwestern Europe, has a population of 11.8 million (2024). It is bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. The nation is divided into three distinct Communities, each with its own
culture. Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region in the north, accommodates about half of the population. The French Community, or Wallonia-Brussels Federation, is home to five million French speakers in the south. Lastly, East Belgium, in the far east, has a population of 75,000 to 80,000 German speakers. The capital of the country is Brussels.
Other Important Facts:
- Belgium is a constitutional monarchy.
- The majority of Belgians (58%) identify as Roman Catholic.
- The country was one of the founding members of the European Union (EU).
Belgium's Media Landscape
Belgium ranks 16/180 on the 2024
World Press Freedom Index, rising from 31/180 in 2023. Belgian journalists typically enjoy protection from political pressure and maintain high trust in the media. Internet access in the country is unrestricted, and citizens have access to a wide array of media.
Belgium's three regions have unique media markets, with news outlets publishing in Dutch, English, French, and German to cater to the diverse populations.
Bruzz is a media company that serves the Flemish people in Brussels.
In addition to its website, the organization offers a radio show, a podcast, and a magazine, providing content from music to the environment. Navigating the site is difficult because not all articles are categorized. The content is currently divided into sections for political news and information about the Pope's visit to Brussels. Assigning each article a specific category like "Environment," "Music," or "World Affairs" would make exploring the site much smoother. Overall, Bruzz provides a good overview of life and culture in Belgium.
Another news website based in Brussels is
The Brussels Times. The website's aesthetic mirrors The New York Times, with nearly identical newspaper-style mastheads and article font styles.
The Brussels Times originated as a newspaper in 1865 and has since evolved into a news website and a bi-monthly magazine. The site mainly covers European affairs, business, general news, and art to provide foreigners and those living abroad with accurate Belgian news. The organization asserts itself as being objective:
"We have no political affiliation and seek to present the news fair-mindedly and offer a wide range of analysis and opinion pieces."
In contrast to Bruzz, The Brussels Times divides articles into categories. By scrolling to the bottom of the homepage, users can view the headlines of the most recent articles in education, world, health, politics, sports, and more. The tabs at the top of the page are arranged similarly to help users navigate the content they want to see. The organization also posts regularly on social media to keep users informed.
Environmental Action
Many European countries are concerned about protecting the environment and combatting climate change. In December 2023, Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute, and the Climate Action Network published their 2024 Climate Change Performance Index. This annually-published index monitors the climate protection performance of 63 countries and the EU. 14 of the 29 high and medium performers are EU member nations, with Denmark and Estonia "leading the charge." Belgium ranks 39th on the list as a low performer but is above countries like Australia, the United States, and Canada. The United States ranks as a very low performer, in 57th place.
Additionally, the European Commission conducted a comprehensive climate survey in March-April of 2021 and discovered that climate change "is considered one of the most serious problems facing the world by at least a quarter of respondents in every EU Member State. It is the most mentioned item in seven countries: Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, and Finland."
Many Europeans (64%) have taken action to mitigate climate change, but most believe their governments and the EU should do more to combat it. This concern for the environment is reflected in the media, with organizations featuring climate issues on their web pages and social media platforms.
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment