Many analyses, such as those based on media dependency theory, have long highlighted that the way international news is covered can produce important distortions in people’s awareness and understanding of other parts of the world. The fact that most people have very little direct experience with foreign countries makes the information they receive via media a particularly significant influence on how they see and understand the rest of the world.
For these reasons, international news is one of the most highly scrutinized categories of journalism. The nature of global events and the challenges of gathering and distributing international news make it especially challenging for news networks to maintain a steady flow of in-depth news coverage, provide consistent accessibility, and build trust with their audience.
In the end, consumers’ perceptions of English-language international news brands differ greatly across markets, influenced by cultural contexts that shape their societal landscape and needs from news sources. For example, markets such as India, Hong Kong and Africa have a strong interest in consuming international news, mainly due to their desire to keep up with the political insecurity in the region and how other markets perceive them on the world stage.
At the same time, they also want to be updated on famine, poverty and disease outbreaks in their local region. In addition, they expect their news channels to offer them in-depth coverage on a variety of topics and to remain objective. This is particularly true when it comes to the highest-rated Journalistic Attributes of accuracy and impartiality.