One of the things that particularly amazed me about the initial news
coverage of the cyclone, was that, in many of the broadcasts on TV in
particular, there was no mention of where the cyclone had actually hit,
other than it being 'India'. It was as if India was just some nebulous
place a long way away, and we didn't really need to know that it was Orissa
(or any more specific places) that had been hit. This kind of
media-encouraged ignorance of simple geography and the prejudices that
underlie it are very worrying in themselves, in addition to the fact that
there are many British people with family ties in India who would expect
more detailed coverage.
David.
PS: I don't think it is spatial parochialism in particular that is
afflicting the cgf, though there are always issues with respect to why we
discuss the issues or places we do - CGF at present just seems to be having
one of its occasional slack periods with regard to any discussion!
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David Wood
PhD Research Student ('Intelligence Sites in Rural North Yorkshire')
Centre for Rural Economy
Department of Agricultural Economics and Food Marketing
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
0191 222 5305
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