For the past month,all eyes have been on the Egypt. It all started with a series of protests and demonstrations in Tunisia.As the protests went on, it started a chain reaction of demonstrations and rallies that threw parts of the middle east and North Africa into turmoil. It is unlikely that anybody has gone through the month without reading or even hearing about the protests. The story has been on front page news for most major media outlets. Throughout the on-going protests, Egypt has been in the spotlight. Being a highly populated country and a close ally of the United States,I can understand why Egypt was covered so closely. With the weeks past,the situation has mitigated in Egypt and Libya in the has taken over the forerunner in the news with their own protests against their government and leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Now protests and violent clashes with people and their government is nothing new,it happens all over the world ,all the time;but for the events in such countries like Libya, I can think of reasons why the U.S media is covering Libya so closely and if not closer than most other countries in revolt.
Unlike Egypt and Tunisia, Libya is probably the one country that will have a direct impact on average Americans in the weeks to come. Ever since the emergence of the 21st century, the world demand for oil has been higher than ever. It also does not help that now we also have more vehicles than ever before.Now you might say that is a given but then you should know that it is also a given that the U.S is extremely dependent on foreign countries for oil.Libya produces just about 2 percent of the World's oil supply,it may not seem like much of a startling number but the industry of oil production is far more complex than it seems. With the country of Libya in unrest,oil production has once again greatly dwindled, and the 2 percent that come from Libya is considered the highest quality of crude oil on Earth. Experts say if the unrest in the region continues, production of oil may be inhibited and in-turn create a domino effect of a rise in oil prices around the world. http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/24/how-will-the-libyan-crisis-and-rising-oil-prices-affect-the-us/ . I do believe that the on-going protests are something we should all closely follow but I think with this factor of oil, it will give the media a larger incentive to cover the story more closely.
This is a great example of the media embracing it's role as an agenda setter.The more a story is covered, the more the public perceives it as important story. In this instance, the close coverage of Libya makes Americans more attentive to the story as this is something they need to know.Even if it does not seem like Libya will have on impact on the U.S , Libya will have a direct affect them in the long run.
On a side note,I thought it would be interesting to show those of you who have not seen the video of Gaddafi.In the an interview with Gaddafi,he is asked what he thinks about the relationship between him and his people. Gaddafi told Jeremy Bowen of BBC that “My people love me” and said “They will die to protect me”. When asked about the protesters in the city,Gaddafi went as far as saying “Where?”. Sure Gaddafi, your people love you, but they sure have a funny way of showing it. See the interview for yourself http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12603086 .
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