Media spotlight makes our world: Try this thought experiment
Did anyone ever wonder why the British and the US news agencies gave such heavy coverage of the cave ordeal?
They bombarded the world 24 hour a day with news updates, video clips, graphics, maps and comments from experts. By comparison, the mine disaster in Chile back in 2010, in which 33 miners were trapped underground for 69 days, didn’t get nearly this magnitude of coverage.
It finally hit me! I think the Brits exploited the cave ordeal and conspired to draw world attention away from the World Cup and, somehow, dilute the festive Fifa mood over in Russia. But, realising what was afoot, the Russians tacitly fought back by inviting the Wild Boars to the final, a smart move to shift the spotlight back to where it belonged.
It didn’t work, though. The invitation was turned down, since the final clashed with the kids’ recuperation period.
Somsak Pola
Samut Prakan
