Are the media over-hyping the “caravan,” the more than 7,000 Central Americans currently walking through Mexico and heading for the U.S. border? Yes, say a slew of media critics: Arguing that the matter is hardly urgent, Oliver Darcy of CNN notes that the caravan is still “1,000 miles away” from the U.S-Mexican border. Angelo Carusone of MediaMatters elaborates on the argument: It’s still “20-30” days before they reach the border, he points out. It’s therefore only an “impending” issue, he says.
This is an odd argument. (Also—coincidentally!—it is precisely the argument that the Democratic party is making as well.) The midterm elections are 13 days away. Should the media stop covering it because it’s an issue on the horizon and not directly in front of us? Also: Do you think the media should cover climate change? That’s an even longer term threat—the latest IPCC report predicts serious danger in the year 2040. If you think covering climate change is fair game (and I do!), it’s hard to see how you can object to covering the caravan on the grounds of immediate relevance.
