A view from outside the fishbowl...

[mcscajun]

...that is America. We're like a goldfish in a small bowl, thinking it's the whole universe. That was brought home to me this past week, as I sat in a small hotel in Doolin, County Clare, Ireland, reading the Sunday paper, and again on Monday as I read the paper there. In neither case was any news from the US covered; no mention of Bush, Cheney, Iraq, our political scandals, nothing. Oh, sorry...there was One little blurb in the Dublin paper, about a shooting in a church in Detroit.

Meanwhile, I scanned DU on my return looking for any commentary on the riot in Dublin on Saturday. Nothing. Not even in the Irish Affairs group. Nothing either on the UN Election for Secretary-General.

Thinking about the RTE News vs. US News, they see more info about what's breaking in various European papers on a daily basis; that's easy, 'cause we get Zip unless we go looking for it online.

Interesting to leap from the fishbowl on occasion; I've been breathing air for the past two weeks, and I'm going to enjoy a little more on this side of the Atlantic before I leap back into the insanity we live with here in the US.

[tocqueville]

1. to be fair, it's a bit the same everywhere

the local news predominate. And I don't think that the local paper on Ireland is very representative. But if you look at the the big European MSM they cover quite a lot of what happens in the US (but not on the level of American media of course). Iraq is covered everyday, Iran too because it's an international issue. Bush trips are covered, and major events from Delays indictment, Guantanamo trials, Katrina and even the UAE port deal are named.
You can see a lot of documentary and special reporting (often not very flattering from a conservative point of view) but late at night...

The coverage of other news (Hollywwod) is very good, and many American artists and celebrities are often in France for example and show up on TV shows...

What I can see of the US MSM (through the net) very little is reported of what is happening in Europe except if it's MAJOR event...

[mcscajun]

2. Shameless kick...

:kick:

[magellan]

3. These topics were discussed in LBN

Riots Erupt in Dublin

Bolton Launches Talks on Replacing Annan

But you're quite right. Europeans aren't anywhere near as egocentric in their news reporting as we are; that's partially because what happens in one place in the EU may well affect another. But it's also routine for Europeans to see themselves as part of the larger picture and want to understand what's going on in the world.

edited to add -- enjoy the remainder of your visit, I envy you your break from Bush**'s bizarro-world!

[mcscajun]

4. Thanks, but my visit ended yesterday. I'm back home...it Was a

great two-week-long break from Bizarro-world, though. You're quite right about that.

[NJCher]

5. that sounds like heaven

Just to be in a world where incompetence isn't at the reign, even if only for a few weeks.




Cher

[mcscajun]

6. The best part was not seeing, hearing or reading BUSH at all...

...for two blissful weeks.

No country is perfect, but I heard from some native seniors that THEIR Medications are free! Something quite Sane about Ireland in that respect.

[mcscajun]

7. Last shameless kick.

:kick: