Why Are People More Concerned About Pakistan News Than International?

By Author: Ahmad
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Globalization has led to changes in the content of media outlets throughout the world. Pakistan news has also witnessed this change. If we watch a news bulletin or read any newspaper we realize that a fair share of news is about international developments. Pakistan news gets far less coverage in the headlines of both electronic and print media than international.

The growing trend of featuring pictures of international celebrities in newspapers has resulted in the neglect of local news all over the world. This globalized world is strongly interconnected. Today, events in one part of the world cast far-reaching impacts on other parts of the world. A terrorist incident in an oil-rich country can jeopardize the global oil trade, fueling an industrial crisis that may render many individuals jobless in different regions of the world.

All these reasons have resulted in the globalization of the media industry. Newspapers started assigning more space to international news than local news. The decline of local news precipitated the closure of many small city-specific dailies.

However, the importance of local news ...
... cannot be underestimated as it directly impacts the citizens. The decline of local news has added to the misery of the common man. News on poor municipal service delivery, street crimes, and injustice, which affects the common man in society remain largely unreported.

The following points assert that despite globalization and all of its impacts on media, people are more concerned about national and local developments than international.

Pakistan News is more relevant to the interests of the masses than international news
Businessmen and the elite class may take interest in international trade, the holiday schedule of celebrities, and the business environment in different countries. On the contrary, the majority of people in Pakistan deem such news irrelevant to their priorities. Laypersons are more concerned about the debilitating condition of roads in their locality, the soaring prices of grocery items, and street crimes. They find it useless to know about updates on the coup in Zimbabwe or soaring hotel booking rates during summer in the Caribbean islands. They have no plans to visit either of the two places. Thus, they find national news more relevant to their interests than international.

Neglecting local developments can be detrimental
During any natural disaster or unfortunate incident, news coverage proves crucial in curtailing damages. As news channels cover an unfortunate incident live, it helps people stay safe. Live coverage of a terrorist attack, bomb blast, or a natural disaster in a rural area helps many individuals stay away from the affected region as they know about the incident. Thus, neglecting local developments and prioritizing international news can prove injurious.

COVID-19 outbreak and local news
During Covid-19 city-based news reporting helped people know about the situation of Covid-19 in their city. People could easily know which areas of their city are most affected by the virus from the news. Moreover, local government and city administration were able to inform the masses about necessary precautions through media. Moreover, Local news reporters in different cities helped people learn which areas of their cities are under lockdown. Thus, people prefer watching local and national news more than international developments.

Pakistan News Shows: True voice of the masses
News shows that prefer discussing local issues are the true voice of the masses. Several news channels broadcast shows where laymen get the opportunity to hold the mike and tell about the problems faced by him.

Local news reporters help improve municipal service delivery
Local news reporters also help in improving municipal service delivery in underprivileged areas of the city. If in any area of a city, Sewerage System or Waste Management is poor, news channels report it. Ultimately, the city administration takes action to improve the situation. People appreciate such reporting as it goes a long way in improving municipal services. Therefore, citizens prefer news Pakistan over international as it is more relevant to their interests.

Summing up the discussion, we can say the majority of the masses in Pakistan do not take interest in international news as they deem it irrelevant to their interests. The internationalization of media has led to the neglect of Pakistan news. Only a few people in the country take interest in international news. Many residents would think it a complete waste of time to read international news. People take more interest in news from Pakistan because local developments have a direct impact on their well-being and prosperity.

Hamza Ahmad is a content creator who love to share his knowledge with the readers.