LONDON: Throughout the past week, international news media has faced criticism for its extensive and relentless coverage of an incident that lacks historical significance. While the fate of five individuals inside the submersible Titan, en route to the Titanic shipwreck site, remained uncertain, major media outlets spared no expense or airtime in discussing the topic.
The stark contrast between the intense media focus on the Titan’s ill-fated journey and the comparatively minimal attention given to the deaths of potentially hundreds of people off the coast of Greece just days earlier was pointed out by former US President Barack Obama during a public forum in Athens. His remarks resonated with the audience and echoed the frustrations felt by news consumers worldwide.
Speaking at a conference on child and adolescent mental health initiatives in the Greek capital, Obama said, “There is a potential tragedy unfolding with a submarine that is receiving minute-to-minute coverage worldwide, and it is understandable because, obviously, we all want and pray for the rescue of those individuals. But the fact that this incident has garnered so much more attention than the sinking of 700 people is an untenable situation.”
The disaster he referred to occurred in the Central Mediterranean on Tuesday, far from the media’s gaze. A fishing vessel carrying an estimated 750 individuals from Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and Pakistan capsized in international waters off Pylos in southern Greece. According to the UN Human Rights Office, 78 people have been confirmed dead, while at least 500 others remain missing.
The media discourse surrounding this tragedy was quickly overshadowed by the analysis and coverage of the search-and-rescue operations conducted by multiple Western countries to locate the Titan, which vanished while carrying affluent marine enthusiasts on a tour of the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Judith Sunderland, Associate Europe and Central Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, noted that the only reason for discussing the relative lack of attention given to the significant number of migrant and refugee deaths is the timing. She stated, “It happened right after the horrifying shipwreck off the coast of Greece, one of the worst in recent memory.”
Nour Halabi, a fellow at the University of Aberdeen, believes that if the Titan incident had not occurred during the same week as the migrant boat tragedy, Western media outlets’ nonchalant attitude may not have been so glaringly evident, and the discussion would not have taken place. Halabi, the author of “Radical Hospitality,” which examines media coverage of immigration, emphasized the “juxtaposition of the two events” and its impact on public perception of the value of human life.
While international media outlets extensively covered the names, life stories, and personal details of the five “explorers” aboard the submersible, as described by its operator OceanGate, images of distressed migrants and their capsized ship were depicted in a less prominent manner. This discrepancy underscores the broader issue of how media coverage tends to dehumanize migrants and refugees, hindering empathy and obscuring their individual stories.
Halabi further elaborated that media decisions are influenced by global leaders, who prioritize certain groups over others. She stated, “The media is being led, first of all, by the humanitarian response, and governments here (in Europe) … are at the forefront in mobilizing resources that create what is called a newsworthy event. In one case, there was no response, so it did not escalate to a media event, while in another, the response is signifying importance.”
The contrasting coverage of last week’s events is not the first instance where international media organizations have been criticized for applying double standards.
Similarly, during the Ukraine war in February 2022, several major Western media correspondents made biased comparisons between Ukrainian and Middle Eastern refugees, portraying the former as “civilized” and “prosperous” while depicting the latter as a “crisis” burdening Europe’s economy.
The criticism directed at media outlets for their handling of humanitarian crises highlights the normalization of migrant deaths and the need for more equitable coverage. Josie Naughton, CEO of the UK-based charity Choose Love, believes that the scrutiny applied to the Titan incident should also be extended to migrant deaths at sea, with the hope of fostering increased attention and empathy for these tragedies.
As public discourse continues to examine media biases and demand more comprehensive and compassionate coverage, it is essential for news organizations to reflect on their practices and strive for greater inclusivity and fairness.
