Globalization of the Media

In their Annual Report, The Economist (2005) noted: “We are well positioned to benefit from the long-term trends towards globalization and the expansion of the high-end audience: wealthy, influential people with intellectual curiosity and an international outlook, with an increased appetite for information in the English language.” – Melissa Wall and Douglas Bicket in Window on the Wider World (2008)

Americans are turning to the British media to supplement the news coverage they receive from the mainstream U. S. media outlets. Cultural affinity, common history, genre proximity, and political and religious heritage affect the flow of information between countries. Genre proximity also affects programming such as news and soap operas. News is a genre that transports well across borders. (Wall, 2008) The BBC, The Economist, The Financial Times, the Guardian, the Independent, and The Times of London have all seen an increase of American readers and some have sought readers through marketing or by making an American version of their product. This increase is due to a decrease of U. S. mainstream media coverage of foreign news over the last two decades and mainstream media’s reliance on talk shows, celebrity anchors, and other gimmicks that have reduced the amount of time spent reporting on “hard news.” British news media offers American news consumers a worldview that is not radically different, but is more complete.

References
Wall, M., & Bicket, D. (2008). Window on the wider world. Journalism practice, 2(2), 163-178. doi:10.1080/17512780801999345.