It was a race against time and understandably dramatic. A submersible carrying five millionaires had disappeared. Media coverage included beautiful undersea scenes and reported on the millions of dollars spent by the military on the brave but alas, unsuccessful rescue efforts.
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But just one week earlier, some 700 refugees, including children, drowned in what was the worst refugee vessel accident in history but no one in the American media thought that was a story worth following and no military general thought to spend one red cent to save them.
The catastrophic event was barely mentioned, even before five rich guys went missing on an expensive and dangerous adventure, that they chose to embark on. The coverage of the two stories is an indication of moral bankruptcy.
U.S. media outlets have always struggled to cover international news that does not have an American angle and are embarrassingly enamored of the lives of the world's richest people. The obsession for ratings which ballooned since the appearance of social media prompts American news organizations to favor sexy viral stories.
There is no shortage of excuses but at the end of the day, there is no denying the truth. If you are poor, your life matters less in this world. And if you are a miserable refugee who is unfortunate enough to be drowning at sea, after your attempts to escape your hellish life, You can hope that before you freeze to death, some billionaire's yacht happens by.