Proximity as Bias in Coverage of the World’s Hurricane Problem

Over at The Intersection, Chris Mooney has a post up about the complete absence of U.S. news coverage dedicated to the record six tropical cyclones that have hit Madagascar, killing hundreds and causing massive damage.

It’s the old proximity norm creating bias in news coverage. The result, apart from any important disaster relief reaction, is that Americans fail to get a big picture about just how global the hurricane problem might be.

Six tropical cyclones hit Madagascar over the past couple months, but you wouldn’t know it if you lived in the U.S.