The Washington Post today (11/12) ran a story about all the international firms operating in the Washington area. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/11/AR2007111101177.html)

This was a local news story that showed a connection with the rest of the world.

No special training was needed to do this story.

No foreign correspondent or foreign bureau was needed.

This was just a straight local story done with existing staff.

It would have been nice if it was in the main news section instead of the business section, but at least it was done.

So why oh why can’t smaller news outlets around the country see the importance of including international news and events and then linking those events to the local community?

Businesses around the world buy and sell operations around the globe, inclding small towns like Marysville, Oh., and Kalamazoo, Mich. Where is the reporting on the international links and the political/economic/social situations in the home countries of the foreign owned businesses?

And why oh why can’t editors and publishers finally realize that local news has an international connection and that connection has to be reported fully? To do less is to cheat the readers/viewers/listeners and to cheapen the media.

The Diversity Committee blog brings out a point that I have been making for years.

Local news outlets can look at the rest of the world without paying for foreing correspondents.

http://spj.org/blog/blogs/diversity/archive/2007/11/05/9473.aspx

It’s about time. For years I have felt like I was banging my head against a wall trying to get people to pay attention to this very simple way of showing our readers/viewers/listeners how the rest of the world fits in with our everyday lives.