Aside from major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, U.S. audience interest in global topics often ranges from spotty to nonexistent. Articles about war in Sudan or violent gang warfare in Haiti are relegated to the outskirts of news websites — if they’re even written at all.
What do American readers want from international news coverage?
News organization Global Press has tried to answer that question with a report on U.S. audience demand for international content. The key findings are enlightening: American readers surveyed are hungry for more global information, but they want it from journalists who actually come from the places they cover. They don’t want to see a disaster narrative constantly reinforced — they want to see solutions. And they aren’t interested in generic language that refers to wide groups of people — these only bog down the text and can reinforce harmful stereotypes.
