Researchers from the University of Bonn, the University of Warwick and Imperial College London found that three factors significantly increase the likelihood that a natural disaster in one country will become newsworthy in another: these factors are the spectacular footage, the large number of victims and the personal connections between the people of the countries.
The research, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, is based on an analysis of more than 2,600 natural disasters since 2016. The scientists used the data of Europe Media Monitor, the database of the European Commission, which monitors the publications of about 20,000 mass media from 190 countries every day.
It has been found that sudden and visually spectacular disasters - earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches and forest fires - attract international attention first. The more victims there are, the greater the probability that the event will be written about outside the affected country.
However, no less important factor was the personal ties between the people of different states.
"We found that social ties with the affected country play a particularly important role," said Professor Timo Fetzer of the University of Bonn and Warwick.
At the same time, geographic proximity or common language alone do not explain media interest. The researchers, in particular, used the Social Connectedness Index, which evaluates the intensity of connections between residents of different countries according to the number of mutual contacts on Facebook.
The connection has been so noticeable that the media may pay more attention to a disaster in a distant country if there are close historical or personal ties to its population. For example, according to the researchers' model, the German media would be about equally likely to cover a hurricane that killed 62 in Mexico and a disaster that killed 100 in Bangladesh, despite Bangladesh being significantly closer to Germany.
According to scientists, personal connections strengthen interest and empathy towards what is happening. Even the genetic proximity of the population of different countries was an indirect indicator of such connections. Researchers believe that this reflects historical migration processes and the bonds formed between societies, and is not an independent reason for media attention.
At the same time, the research revealed a worrying feature. Droughts and floods, which are among the most visible effects of climate change, make international news much less often. Unlike earthquakes or forest fires, they are often covered primarily in the countries where they occur immediately.
According to Fetzer, this may contribute to the underestimation of the effects of global warming. climate threats are easier to ignore unless they directly affect people.
