The Moment When I Could No Longer Defend The Post

I have not posted in a long time, and the first thing I will post is something that I believe will anger readers. So I apologise in advance but well, this is my blog and this is how I feel :) Hope we can still be friends.

I'm subscribed to the free Washing Post online newsletter that delivers the major headlines to subscribers daily. And the very first headlines for the past few years have always (and I mean ALWAYS) been on one topic only -- Donald Trump. What the Post has against him is hatred that has turned into an obsession.

As much as I dislike having him as my president, it was tiring to always open that email and see "Trump" (or something about his administration) at the top, and I wondered what momentous news would finally "topple" him as the main headline.

Well, I got my answer last week when the Notre-Dame cathedral went up in flames. And not just one but at least three top headlines in the 16 April 2019 edition were focused on the fire, with no mention of Trump! *Record broken!*

But in doing so, they turned me into a disengaged subscriber because their handling of major world news exposed their Eurocentricism in a way that I could not tolerate anymore. Yes, I already knew the Post was liberal and bias, and did not provide the best world news coverage, yada yada yada. But it provided top-notch journalism on non-headline-y American social issues. I enjoyed reading its personal pieces that highlighted the plight of everyday American people -- these articles were written in an even, fair manner and with much balanced sympathy. Plus I will admit my morbid curiosity with the Post's obsession to take down Trump: fascinating and tiring to witness all at the same time.

However, I can't justify the Post anymore.

When the Boeing Max 8 plane crash in Indonesia and Ethopia occurred in October 2018 and March 2019 respectively, killing hundreds of people, did that make it as the top headline? No. What about when the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) refused to ground all Max 8 planes despite obvious evidence that something was wrong -- did that make it to the top? Nope. It did make it to the top 3, but only because the Post reported that Trump and the head of the FAA were incompetent in handling the plane crash.

Alright, what about the Christchurch mosque shootings in March this year? Surely that was world-shaking enough to be propelled to the top? Nope. It was only the day after when Trump sent his condolences to the people in New Zealand that the news finally made it to the top.

Do we see a pattern here?

So imagine my surprise when news of the cathedral fire broke, and the foremost headlines (multiple! Not just 1!) stopped having "Trump" in it. It was a moment of astonishment and relief, and disappointment all at the same time. Because the news of plane crashes, mosque shootings, and the loss of hundreds of innocents lives in non-Western Civilisation countries are not worthy enough to be the top headline in a major American newspaper, but the burning of a church building in France is.

I understand that the burning of the cathedral is a tragedy. I'm a historian, and there is no bigger nightmare to us than when historical artifacts/ evidence/ buildings are lost forever. Although I've never visited this cathedral, it saddened me when I heard the news. And if you are French or you have a special connection to France, I get it that this would be THE major news for you.

BUT let's be brutally honest here. It's
a
darn
building.
That did not even burn completely to the ground. And two rich French billionaires have already pledged millions to rebuild the cathedral. And most people's main connection to it is really only through Victor Hugo's novel, or a visit to the building while touring France. I doubt few people (other than the French) have real significant ties to the building.

Yet, we live in a world where the burning of a cathedral in a Western European country elicited more attention in one of the foremost newspapers in the world than plane crashes and terrorist attacks in a non-USA/ Western European region of the globe. Perhaps it is just the Washington Post, but I suspect that the same shoddy journalism happens with other major American newspapers. I bet that if one of the buildings in the Forbidden City burned down, it would not make it into the top headlines as the cathedral fire did. I don't know. I just know that I'm disgusted with the Washington Post. As much as the Washington Post prides itself on being a "liberal" media outlet, it is stuck in its narrow Eurocentricism. Representation? Pish.

However, the Post is really a reflection of the thoughts of its people, and in particular, the liberal segment of the American population. So I guess I cannot blame the Post for such poor journalism. I'm going to be 100% judge-y and bi*c*y here, but I need to get this off my chest. My Facebook feed has been inundated with sympathetic posts about the cathedral fire, especially by liberal friends who had the means and opportunity to visit the Cathedral. I'm sure it was a positive experience, which is why they were devastated to hear the news. Yet, where was this same outcry when the Christchurch shootings happened? Or when the FAA refused to ground Max 8 planes till much later?

*Crickets*

And this from people who are "liberal" and "woke" and all for representation.

Thus, the Post.