When gunmen murdered 17 people in Paris earlier this month, it seized the world’s attention. When Boko Haram militants killed hundreds in and around the Nigerian town of Baga the same week, the mass killing scarcely garnered a mention in the Western media.
The contrast between the spotlight in Paris and the blackout in Nigeria resulted in a barrage of criticism charging the international media with a lopsided focus. Those killed in Nigeria, like those killed in Paris, were victims of gunmen espousing an extreme version of Islamism. Those deaths, critics argued, also deserved attention.
The discussion about why the killings in Nigeria were ignored underscored an old problem: News from sub-Saharan Africa is underreported. Whatever the ultimate explanation for the coverage gap, the discussion of the lack of Baga killings coverage offers an opportunity to pivot resources toward Africa, starting with Nigeria.
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