Geopolitics of Representation in Foreign News - by Bella Mody (Paperback)

About the Book

Foreign News Matters shows that news organizations construct foreign events uniquely and strategically-as opposed to objectively and neutrally-based on national historical solidarity with global North or South power blocs, current national interest, ownership of the news organ...

Book Synopsis

Foreign News Matters shows that news organizations construct foreign events uniquely and strategically-as opposed to objectively and neutrally-based on national historical solidarity with global North or South power blocs, current national interest, ownership of the news organization, and the political-linguistic constituency of the intended audience. While there has been research on the role of national interest and news organization ownership, the influence of the intended audience (namely, foreign or national) in the design of news is a new contribution to the literature.

Review Quotes

Foreign News Matters reveals a great deal about who decides what is news, the different ways national media define a story, and what this means for the publics that consume the news. Mody's starting point is that news about human abuse is a desirable end in itself, and an investment against future genocides. The analysis of how various media measured up to that standard in covering the crisis in Darfur is fascinating and, in some cases, alarming. The result is a must-read for anyone interested in international journalism.

Foreign News Matters combines systematic content analyses with insightful interpretation, places this research into theoretical, historical and political contexts, and uses an elegant organizing structure that compares news coverage within and across nation-states, regions, and the globe. The result is a significant contribution to our understanding of the constructed nature of 'news, ' the diverse practices of contemporary journalism, and the implications of both for cross-national understanding of the Darfur crises specifically, and foreign 'others' more generally.


Mody combines political economy, international relations, and content analysis in this unique interpretation of foreign news as geopolitically situated knowledge. Her focus on the Global South and the North and on print and online news offers new understandings of global news flows. Her analysis of the potentials and pitfalls of foreign news as international education is illuminating.

About the Author

Bella Mody is the James de Castro Chair in Global Media Studies in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder.