What is the most important but underreported story of the year?

Question

Even in our 24/7, 500 channel universe, lots of important stories never show up in the mainstream press - or they do show up only to be quickly pushed aside by the media obsession du jour (including runaway brides and celebrity trials). What news story from the past year do you feel didn’t get enough attention from the press - and why do you think it didn’t?

Yahoo! Answers staff notice: This is the real Arianna Huffington
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-d8pH0dcoRKeB12yOcnUQp.9VCFos?p=6287

Answer 1

First monster among us -- the new IRS.

Though temporarily shackled by the Taxpayers Bill of Rights and the Clinton Administration, Bush has quietly empowered "his boys" in the "Service".

Under the new Bush laws, the IRS now has 10 years, rather than the old 6, to collect IRS assessments. But than pales in the revelation that IRS tax liens, inflated by penalties and interest, are no longer dischargable at Bankruptcy.

Bush recently hired 25,000 new auditors to go after, you guessed it, people and corporations making under $25K per year.

Second monster among us -- Ann Coulter.

While she prattles on about the Godless scourge, and she means me, she is registered to vote in at least two states and may have committed felonies and voter fraud.

Third monster amoug us -- anyone who uses the expression Gitmo to describe the prison Haliburton built. A bargain at just 23 million or so, it is used to "detain" POWs from such US allied countries as Saudi Arabia and France. Oh, wait, Ann Coulter IS at war with France so we CAN hold French POWs there!

And the fourth beast, if you happen to live in California, and Santa Monica mansions are included, the life sentences given under the 3strikes law for such "not" serious crimes as possession of pot and shoplifting.

Frankly, Arrianna, while you remain the woman of my dreams, you really should accept your portion of responsibility for the passage of the 3Xs. It was your husband, who co-chaired and gave $300,000 to create this beast. Until you give me your mea culpa, in person please!?, you really don't have much room to call anyone else a hypocrite.

Answer 2

The problem is that most people have no clue that all news and media is owned and censored by huge corporations. Many don't realize that the entire world functions off of the ownership of the 'golden seven' corporations. If you want to know what is the most under reported story of the year, it is the fact that most news is censored and slanted in a specific direction, and this makes it extremely difficult to find REAL truth in the news. So why does the public look to the news for truth (because you most certainly won't find it there)? So much of the truth is left out of the information which is broad casted to the public, and therefore the public is never really 'in the know' about the real happenings of the world. Seek truth, go outside the United States press and read what other countries are focusing on, and see what they are saying about happenings within the United States. Never take the media as being anything more than a biased opinion and a partial truth. Look at the media as a business, and that the bottom line in business is $$$, and therefore they tell us what sells, keep us blind to the true happenings of the world, and keep us thinking that we are educated in the news of the world.Take all the news you read and hear with a grain of salt, and know that there is more to it that what is being told. Be objective, is my advice!

Answer 3

You caught me in a blind spot about the stories,but I will try to answer some of the question.
I read and see news almost the whole day . Not only from the US,but international.
I read stories from the Swiss papers in German and actually see quite a few news worthy one from there side of the world that should be aired here. An example of that just happened last week,when a Swiss man had a lot of poisonous snakes in his house,rattlesnakes,cobras and water moccasins. he had permits for the reptiles,but they all escaped from his home and made it out into the community.So far none have not been foundwhile he lives in a wooded area. Now a typical Swiss is not used to such a thing.
It seems like only good looking people get the coverage when there is a kidnapping,rape,murder thats, are not the not so good looking people important or not ?
Some stories are really over run,when I am sure there are others that should also get prime time as well. Yet then it is called the power of the press,as to what we see and hear in the media or television.
yet there is so much news and stories happening everysecond,so where to we start and where do we end. it is pretty hard to send reporters to all or cameras to all scenes.

Answer 4

The most underreported story of the year? I would have to say it is actually the most underreported story of the past 3 years. That is the true stories of what is happening in Iraq. I am a member of the Armed Forces and I have been to that region more than once. I have also had to opportunity to be involved with the routine training and evaluation of every military unit deployed over the past 18 months. Most of these guys have already been there.

Answer 5

It seems that the only things that catch the attention of the media today must be sensational in nature: death, destruction, war, the rich and the famous/infamous. And most stories are told with an American filter, as it applies to us alone. Anything inspiring, ongoing, deemed "too depressing" by those in charge, non-USA related, or any in depth follow-up story gets little notice or buried in the back of the paper (ie. WMDs found, what's happening in Afghanistan today, anything in Africa, hurricane/tsunami victims and where they are now, or anything good the military has done).

I agree with one of the other answers: I could care less about the Brangelina baby or anything to do with Tom Cruise. If the media focused it's rabid attention away from the frivolous misadventures of Britney Spears and shifted it to something worthy, like the worldwide AIDS epidemic or the situation with disaster victims months (or even a year) after the event struck, or even worldwide environmental issues, then maybe something might get changed for the better. If anything, awareness levels would be raised among the common American. Imagine if the majority of today's teens knew more about the worsening situation in Iran or exactly why the gas prices spiked than about the latest fashion trend or celeb gossip!

As it is, real issues tend to be the ongoing type and the media just can't take that kind of time to follow a story that won't get them ratings or sell magazines/papers. The stories are depressing and solutions aren't found quickly. After the initial interest in a cause-du-jour and the one or two uplifting, hope inspiring follow-ups, there's no other "angle" to take for ratings. And doesn't it always come down to making money? Ah, the Almighty Dollar...how you corrupt!

Answer 6

The most underreported story of the year? I would have to say it is actually the most underreported story of the past 3 years. That is the true stories of what is happening in Iraq. I am a member of the Armed Forces and I have been to that region more than once. I have also had to opportunity to be involved with the routine training and evaluation of every military unit deployed over the past 18 months. Most of these guys have already been there.

The media only focuses on the negativity of our presence or they preach on the issue of people being injured or killed. The Americans need to face the fact that people are always going to be injured or killed in an evironment like this. It is invevitable. Another thing that needs to be faced is that is not the fault of the government or any one person that is in the government. We do things as a nation with a specific purpose in mind. These purposes are decided upon by the entire government. The President made the decision to make the move. It could not have happened without the approval of Congress. If there is anyone to blame then blame the United Nations. I was involved in Desert Storm in 1991. We new then that the power had to be shifted and people needed to be removed from that power. The United Nations is responsible for what had transpired from 1991 to present. There were over 62 nations involved with the operations then and we all agreed it needed to happen then. Instead, the UN left him in power, made deals with him, never enforced any of the imposed restrictions and ultimately bread what we now are facing every day.

If you want to truly change the face of this issue, report what is really happening. Go behind the scenes and talk to the troops or the Iraqi people. Get out there and get some real news for a change and not that watered down crap that you are selling as news. It is no wonder that law enforcement and the military hate the media with a passion. You do nothing but search for the negative and make that your story. Half of the time the story is fabricated anyway.

I am proud of what I have done and I will always support our troops and their missions. I will also support what our government officials find to be in our best interest so long as they are standing behind us. If you support a politician who is bashing the current national status, you might want to research their vote on the initial plan. You might find out that the majority of them voted to support the current operations and were some of the first to actually push towards this type of action. Now it is in their best interest to change their face in hopes that they or their party will be able to strangle more power for their side.

Answer 7

I am more intrigued by the second part of your question - why do your think the press didn't give enough attention to some stories.

I believe that 50 plus years ago and longer, the news was reported to enlighten us on activities around the globe as well as in our own backyard. It seemed to have been based on facts and was not based on the entertainment value, shock value or ratings.

Now it seems that this is reversed and the important thing is entertainment, shock and ratings. How did this get reversed? I'm sure that a myriad of answers would come pouring in from people so I will give my thoughts.

The media feeds off of what the public seems to want and I'm sure they gauge that off of what sells. Maybe initially, it was the National Enquirer, People magazine and other tabloids. Then with people living an all too busy life, the news had to capture their attention, so it had to be condensed and eye-catching or sensational. On top of that, now the sensational pictures and stories are paid a premium for so that escalates the stories that are centered around the people in the pictures.

I believe that in 1950 and prior decades people were extremely focussed on family and a strong work ethic and had full enough lives to not need or have time for all the sensationalism. They made their own entertainment and relied on local discussions to understand the big stories of the world.

As far as the first part of your question, I think any story that could shape our families and mold some core values in our children were underreported.

Answer 8

Well I think it is the fact that 2005 was the hottest year on file in History. There were severe droughts all over and not just in the United States. That leads us to Global Warming and although we hear snip-its and Small stories about it we fail to see the long term effects and how fast those effects are catching up to us. Last years drought will effect everything. The amount of food available the price of food and clothing and transportation of it and last but not least that one precious resource we even go to other planets to see if it existed, WATER. Without it we would all perish too much due to polar caps melting and we will all drown or starve to death from Ocean current changes which will kill fish and cause tidal waves and other weather phenomenon that we are starting to see now like more hurricanes. We will start to see the economic effects next month as supplies are depleated and food cost skyrocket.
We better start paying attention to this issue and i mean right NOW not tomorrow.
Every country on the globe contributes to it some more then others so it is certainly a global issue not a country by country thing.
Global warming does not get the attention because you can't see it happen. It is a slow process but is happening all around us and people do not tend to think about things that do not directly effect them today. They will try and put it off until tomorrow and pretty soon there will be no tomorrow if we keep ignoring what we are doing to the environment.

Answer 9

This is the most under reported story of the year (outline).

A: How much the Bush Administration has spent on the "War on Terrorism".

B: What will be the debt America has to pay to China and the government? Furthermore, for how long due to the war in Iraq?

C: How polarized is the United States and do we need another country or the United Nations to interfere with how our government is presently being run?

D: Why did President Bush allow American jobs to be outsourced and how is it benefiting the middle class and below?

E: Rolling Stone Magazine had an article that showed proof that not all votes were counted in the 2004 election and that's where the media stopped, what happened to other media outlets investigating this story?

F: How many times has the Bush Administration attacked the Media for stories that didn't favor them?

G: How honest has the Bush Administration been with the American people?

H:There was a video that President Bush approved that everything was going to be secure in New Orleans after authorities asked the Administration for extra help prior to the devastation of Katrina, was any action taken on behalf of this evidence?

I: Why was President Bush so determined to allow the sale of American Ports to the UAE?

J: Is America being sold by the biggest corporate bastards the world has ever known in the White House?

Answer 10

There are a lot of stories that should attract more attention.

My personal opinion is that global warming is the most important story, and no amount of coverage could possibly be enough. This is going to alter the physical world we live in, and perhaps force changes in our civilization as well.

To begin with, Katrina will not be the last major disaster. More and more destructive hurricanes will force more attention to be paid to issues of emergency preparedness.

Studies have shown that melting ice will change the earth's plate tectonics (like releasing tension on a trampoline) and this will trigger more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Repeated catastrophes, at the same time world population is growing so that more and more people will be forced to live in "danger zones", will force changes in the way we live, calculate property values (what good is beachfront property if the water starts rising?), prepare for emergencies, respond to emergencies (how much capacity for response can any government sustain?), and much more.

Yet the press is not preparing us for these changes. Why? In part, because the reality of global warming has been debated for so long. Now that it is no longer in question, it is "old news". Many governments may have done their best to achieve this, as governmental policy usually revolves around "not causing a panic" - in other words, "don't upset the voters".

To be fair, although President Bush certainly hasn't done much to help on this issue, for all Al Gore now makes a big crusade out of it, the administration he was a part of didn't do very much either. They were content to "not upset the apple cart" while they were tending it, but to criticize those who took over. Just because they made more *speeches* about global warming than George W. Bush doesn't mean they *did* much about it.

Answer 11

The most underreported story in the US in my opinion is the long term trends and their drivers in gasoline pump prices.

No one is specifically reporting what the pump prices will be in five years and why.

According to the BBC 40% of the increase in pump prices over the last two years is due to growing demand from China. We have just about reached the point of maximum oil production and will soon be facing rapid decline in this global resource. We are facing growing demand from China, India and the US and diminishing supply.

I believe that this is the real reason that the US is fighting a war in Iraq.

Based on current trends it may cost $30,000 per year to fill up a SUV withinn five years.

Cities such as LA and Detroit which were built around cheap gasoline prices will need to be substantially restructured over the next 50 years.

I believe that a large proportion of vehicles currently on the market and on the roads will become too expensive to run as gas prices reach $12 to $15 per gallon in the relatively near future. Big V8s will soon be worth their scrap metal value.

Americans are not good at long term thinking and this issue will cause the country some painfull and expensive adjustment.

Oil companies and the government do not want widespread discussion of this topic and there has been an attempt to limit information access such as real future price predictions based on current trends.

China doesn't have a credit system so people now must buy a car with several years income in cash. When this system soon develops vehicle ownership and gasoline demand are going to escalate at a pace never before seen.