In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going on. But you probably have, as the war has been plastered all over every news report for the past two weeks. And for good reason-wars are no trivial matter. However, because of the time and attention given to the war, other important events and issues have been underplayed or overlooked.
Indian nuclear program
On the weapons of mass destruction front, India is testing an intermediate range ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to most of China and Russia. This marks a major change in the nuclear balance of power in the region and may fuel the nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan.
Before the war, the Indian-Pakistani arms race was front-page news. Today, it’s just a side story.
New biological threat
In a nation so concerned with biological threats, little notice in the media has been given to the newest of mankind’s pathogenic enemies. Governments around the world, including the United States, are taking action against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
President Bush issued the first quarantine order in twenty years, allowing Americans to be detained and quarantined if they are suspected of having the disease.
In Asia, the disease continues to grow into an epidemic. Nations are closing borders and airlines are canceling flights to limit the spread of the disease. Normally, a potential epidemic is a matter of national concern. Furthermore, making sure the public is well-informed is one of the best preventive methods. But little press-time has been given to SARS or any other issue since the war began.
In fact, researching for this article has been extremely difficult because nearly everything in the media is related to war. While this ensures that the populace has a good grasp on the war, other major issues face the American people.
While the large amount attention given to the war is understandable, it should not be done at the sacrifice of other vital news. It is the duty of the media to provide their constituents not only with information on the popular issues, but on the important issues as well.
With the advent of the Internet, media organizations can now use their primarily media-TV, radio and newspapers-to provide a cross-section of the news and rely on the Internet for deeper support. This way, people can still find the in-depth coverage of major events such as the war while still being informed of other, equally important if less popular events and issues.
Nathan Alday is a senior aerospace engineering major.