Media Reporting of Geography

Published 14 Dec 2016

The media’s coverage or story about the world geography helps a nation create policy techniques that will produce advantageous results. World geography basically tells of very significant pieces of information. This encompassing characteristic of geography makes the media aware of the many stories about it. This awareness obliges media to share this information with the public.

At present, the media acknowledges the potentials and usefulness of geography-related news stories. For the media industry, geography is an important part of daily news stories. Compared to other news topics, it is geography that can present a complete and significant story. In view of this, the media reporting of geography stories should be done in a manner that offers solutions to problems and provide meaning that is not only fascinating but also insightful. World Geography coverage by media should also be conducted in a way that influences the position of public and private groups worldwide.

It is worthwhile to note the following three geographically-related news items presented in this paper. These include the 2005 Agence France Presse (AFP) story about the result of the National Geographic/Roper survey that determined illiteracy among young Americans with regards to geography; the 2006 Press Release Newswire story about the premier of the new National Geographic episodes of “Who Knew? With Marshall Brain;” and the 2008 (Associated Press) AP story about a rare digging that aims to determine the origin of Britain’s Stonehenge. The first two stories were taken from the online source Breitbart.com while the third one came from the website of National Geographic. Based from the sources, the articles can be written as:

Survey Shows Geographic Illiteracy Among Young Americans

Young Americans, with ages from 18 to 24, had manifested a reported illiteracy about world geography, according to the National Geographic/Roper survey.

The 2006 study disclosed that young Americans showed little knowledge on world geography as the majority failed to find Iraq on the world map. Subsequently, three quarters of the young adults were also unable to locate Indonesia.

The same survey further reported that young Americans are also illiterate even about the United States’ geography, with half of the respondents unable to find New York City and the state of Ohio. Nevertheless, a lot of the respondents were not bothered that they know little about geography.

The report about the National Geographic/Roper poll revealed geographic illiteracy among young Americans despite a wide media coverage of significant events such as the U.S. invasion of Iraq and natural disasters, as well as news stories about North Korea, Indonesia and China.

“Who Knew? With Marshall Brain” Premiers on National Geographic Channel

The National Geographic Channel takes anew the viewers on a fun and fact-filled adventure to find out how things work, with the premier of a new series that investigates how humans and devices fabricate some of the most interesting things in life.

The first of three fact-filled one-hour episodes of “Who Knew? With Marshall Brown” was aired on Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 8 p.m. Expert and “How Stuff Works” author Marshall Brain himself will guide the public during the weekly adventure that includes exploring the effects of the collision between conventional assembly lines and “cutting-edge technology.”

The viewers will be taken into some of the country’s most amazing and high-tech factories that will expose their daily operations particularly their complex engineering and manufacturing procedures. The show prides itself on showcasing the utilization of advanced robotics, the biggest and most powerful gun in the world, a recreation boat that can speed up to 55 mph, and an industrial-grade fire extinguisher. These can be experienced without leaving the comfort of your home.

“Rare Stonehenge Dig Aims to Pinpoint Origin”

Rare diggings on Monday on a UN World Heritage Site will attempt to figure out the four-decade Britain’s Stonehenge riddle, experts say.

Experts Timothy Darvill and Geoffrey Wainwright will lead the excavation which was scheduled until April 11 of the Stonehenge, one of Britain’s famous and least appreciated historical sites.

As archaeologists dig on one of United Kingdom’s most talked about land, the two experts and their team aim to unearth or trace the actual roots of the date and reason for the building of the prehistoric structure.

The team will try to establish a more definite date when the first set of bluestones was placed at Stonehenge and compare them with the samples found in Preseli Mountains in Southern Wales, added Darvill and Wainwright.

Conclusion

The National Geographic/Roper study sent a clear signal to the United States that its younger generations’ illiteracy of worldwide geography may actually mean its literal loss of worldwide location. The young Americans’ defense of not being bothered by their low-level of knowledge of geography is unacceptable. This is because of geography’s important function in the development of an inpidual and the progress of one nation in general.

This is the same reason behind the need for more programs or information campaign such as the Marshal Brain show. The new National Geographic Channel show is promising, not only for fun and adventure-loving people, but more to those who have taken geography for granted. The visual presentations of geographic information by the broadcast media will definitely attract more attention and tickle the imagination of people who love escapades.

The rarity of the Stonehenge digging caters not only on the aspect of geography but of history as well. The digging of the four-decade mystery not only tells of the past but also emphasizes that a historical landmark such as Stonehenge speaks of the mystical importance of the oddly-shaped bluestones. Ultimately, because of geography, the argument regarding the real purpose of the monument will also be known.

The above three news stories are proof of the compelling nature and effects of geography that the media has to report. These include the determining the level of knowledge of people about geography, the appeal and information that people can get from a geographic-related show, and the unfolding of the mystery and origin of a historical monument.

References

  • Katz, G. (2008). Rare Stonehenge Dig Aims to Pinpoint Origin. Associated Press, April 2,2008. Retrieved April 4, 2008 from National Geographic database.
  • National Geographic Channel Takes You on a Fact-Filled Adventure to Discover How ThingsWork on “Who Knew? With Marshall Brain.” (2006). PR Newswire. Retrieved April4, 2008 from Breitbart database.
  • Young Americans geographically illiterate: survey. (2005). Agence France-Presse. RetrievedApril 4, 2008 from Breitbart database.
College Students Often Tell EssayLab specialists:

Who wants to write paper for me?

Essay writer professionals advise:
Cheap Essay Writing Service
Did it help you?