In late September of this year, 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan were forcibly removed from their homes by the Azerbaijan military. 

Around the same time, tension between Canada and India grew after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of the assassination of a Sikh activist living in Canada. 

A United Nations report published in early October estimated around 10,000 Ukranian civilian deaths since Russia invaded the country in February of 2022. 

While you may not have heard about all of these news stories, you’ve definitely heard about the terror both Israelis and Palestinians face every day, you’ve heard about the humanitarian crisis, you’ve heard about the immeasurable deaths and grief of the people living there. 

While the public does need to hear about the Israel-Palestine conflict, it should not result in the underreporting of other important news stories. 

Humanitarian crises are not only happening in the Gaza Strip—they are occurring all over the world and if news sources are not reporting on these events, there is little chance the general public will be well informed about them and encourage government authorities to send aid. 

Though some might claim that journalism has become outdated since the rise of social media, it continues to have a lasting impact on society. 

News stories from newspapers or televised networks, not 10-second clips from Instagram or TikTok, allow for deeper understanding and awareness of global issues. 

Various news stories have made concrete changes in the world, such as a year-long “New York Times” series titled “The iEconomy,” where journalists investigated the working conditions of Chinese workers that made Apple products. 

Their findings, published in 2013, resulted in better pay for the workers, as well as a reevaluation of Apple’s corporation and business practices. 

If that story had not been published, those changes would have taken years longer to be made or they might never have been made at all. 

Journalism is clearly valued by our society—it influences politics as well as broader social discussions. 

News stories have led to positive changes in the past and they can continue to do good things in the future, but only if audiences are aware of things that need to be changed. 

When news sources focus only on one story—no matter how important it may be—readers or viewers are not being exposed to other conflicts or crises that may be occuring at the same time. 

We are part of a global community, and one of the benefits of a global community is the unity it provides. 

If we are made aware of events that we have the ability to change for the better, it will benefit the world as a whole, not just the receiving end.