The countries you barely see: Why certain stories are in the background of our news

Numerous studies highlight how newspapers frame stories and influence cultural perception of nations and nationalities.

Already in 2004, a study conducted in the United States found that on a national level negative coverage of a country led to negative attitudes of the public – but positive coverage had no effect. If a country was not covered much, it was judged as less important.

Yet, not all stories can be given the front-page news.

“Journalism is also very much about what you decide not to do, what you don’t cover,” summarised Kristian Kjærholm Pedersen, the Foreign Desk editor of Berlingske.

So why do certain regions stay in the background at foreign news sections, and what are the consequences of it?

Foreground importance 

In the deciding process of which stories are given the spotlight, a common narrative is that it must appeal to the readers. If the numbers don’t show for it, for whom then are you even writing?

“How do we pick our stories? Well, I have to say that over the past 20 years, we have focused more on combining what is important and what our readers want to know,” said Kristian Kjærholm Pedersen.

The views on a story is an important tool to understand what the readers are interested in. The reader’s engagement Berlingske analyzes in their data is much higher with stories about the Ukrainian-Russian war, than with stories centered in the Middle East.

“I don’t think all regions are equally important to our readers. We would like to write more about Africa, but we see it’s not as engaging for our readers. The comparison would be, if you live in Copenhagen you are interested in things happening in Copenhagen. Conflicts that are closer to Denmark is more important to our readers. They tend to engage more with stories about the war in Ukraine, USA and Greenland,” said Kristian Kjærholm Pedersen.

This idea that people are inherently less interested in places far away is a fallacy often reiterated in newsrooms, according to Irene Costera Meijer Emeritus Professor of Journalism at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

“What will be experienced as far away or nearby is of course not a given. That isn’t about the amount of kilometres, that is what you as a journalist can make someone feel as far away or nearby,” she said.

She maintains that every region is equally relevant, as all humans are equally human. And all regions deal with your country – whether it is through NATO, the EU, or other international institutions.

“If you assume that a reader is not interested in the entire world, then it’s over. If you on the other hand assume that it is your task as a journalist to find the issues important, then you find an angle to tell that story to your specific audience. So that someone from your country thinks, this is interesting, this is touching me, this is of importance at a worldscale,” Irene Costera Meijer said.

Meanwhile, outlets like Berlingske still find it difficult to gain traction for stories set in contexts miles away from their readers’ own lives.

“We would like to write more about Africa and migration roots to Europe, for example. We have been there for years and we have tried to write about it, and it is sad to say, it was difficult to fly with the readers,” says Kristian Kjærholm Pedersen.

Without much reader engagement, there is no possibility of spending much money nor resources to a region.

Irene Costera Meijer argues that audience interest cannot be the only criterion for coverage. If journalists believe a story matters, she said, it is their responsibility to find an angle that makes its relevance clear to their readers.

Background consequences 

But when a foreign desk devotes less funding, attention, and in-depth coverage to regions considered less engaging for readers, the resulting reporting tends to be oversimplified, as indicated by Irene Costera Meijer.

If there is any coverage at all, it is often about conflicts in the regions. The main reason might be simple. In conversation with Berlingske, the Middle East’ foreign section was naturally assumed to be about conflict-reporting.

“We would like it otherwise, but there are so many conflicts there that we still write about conflicts mostly,” said Kristian Kjærholm Pedersen.

But by focusing on conflict mostly, stories are automatically put in the background of some sort, according to Irene Costera Meijer. Pointing to Joris Luyendijk’s 2006 book on the misrepresentation of the Middle East, she explains that journalists often repeat the same established, superficial narratives about foreign regions.

Using Luyendijk’s terminology, she refers to this as a conflict frame.

“The dominant frame in journalism is the conflict frame. That frame assumes that the public wants to hear that the most. But that is not true, and it would be good for journalists to be aware of,” says Irene Costera Meijer. 

The conflict frame would reduce the complexities of stories. Where often multiple parties are involved, historical backgrounds are extensive, and emotional lives are rich, all of a sudden only two parties are on a deadly battle ground.

For instance, a 2021 study found that four major European outlets covered the Syrian war largely through a lens of violence; focusing on airstrikes, casualties, and deaths attributed to a single opposing actor. A conflict-frame is precisely that: it writes about two parties only, that are opposed to each other in violent conflict. 

And when a single frame dominates, the deeper realities of a foreign country remain largely unseen. The interesting, touching stories of the people themselves will be absent in these stories. 

“There will only be reports on the phenomena of the country, not the country itself,” said Irene Costera Meijer. 

The responsibility of our newsrooms 

Still, with limited budgets and tight deadlines, editors must make difficult decisions about which stories to leave in the shadows. It is an intrinsic part of the editorial process.

“We can’t cover the entire world. I’m sorry, we would like to, but you have to choose what you don’t cover,” said Kristian Kjærholm Pedersen.

That Danish media gives more attention to the Russian-Ukraine conflict is understandable, contends Irene Costera Meijer, as the drones flying over the country pose a real threat. Similarly, due to the economic investments the Netherlands has in Israel, there is a clear reasoning why that specific region has been reported on extensively over the years. 

But to broaden journalists’ and readers’ sense of what matters, Irene Costera Meijer argues that the knowledge held by people from ethnically diverse backgrounds is essential.

“In reality, it still matters where you are from as a journalist. If you come from the region, you have grown up with the stories, you have more interest in the region and more knowledge,”says Irene Costera Meijer.