On Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:55:24 +0200 Joseph Catron <jncatron at gmail.com> writes:
> I'm trying to relocate something I recently read by the New York
> Times' Nicholas Kristof, in which he sought to justify his focus on
> foreign do-gooders in conflict zones, rather than the people who
> actually live there. As I recall, he blamed it on the readers - he
> said that's just what they want to see. And he's probably even
> telling
> the truth about that.
>
> Does this ring a bell for anyone? Any help will be tremendously
> appreciated.
I think this column might be the one that you're thinking about:
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/a-postscript-on-diy-aid/
"(Frankly, I always worry that a focus on Sudan and Eastern Congo and other particularly troubled countries leads to a misperception that all of Africa is a mess, a view that is not only unfair but also hurts investment and tourism.) Then again, I’m writing for a mostly American audience, and I’m writing not about development as such but about Americans doing work in development. And the truth is that it’s already extraordinarily difficult to get readers to focus on needs half a world away; one way to do so, is to use Americans as bridge characters. Without them, even fewer people will focus on these issues."
Jim Farmelant http://independent.academia.edu/JimFarmelant www.foxymath.com Learn or Review Basic Math
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