Viewers addicted to continental noir drama such as The Killing and Spiral live under a virtual UK blackout on genuine-life newsWe all know why gale-force winds and torrential rain are lashing the UK: the record blizzards that immobilised much of the US east coast acquire made their way here. And we know a grand deal about these transatlantic storms because final weekend’s British television news was dominated by reports,delivered by breathless reporters in heavy-duty snow gear, anticipating, or then experiencing,then marvelling at the three feet of white stuff that the seasonal force of nature had dumped.
What happens in the US often seems to be chronicled by UK television news – public service as well as commercial – with the sort of urgency and familiarity that would apply if it were taking place here, if not more so. Nor is it just the visual draw of spectacular natural phenomena, and bigger and more dramatic than anything we can muster here. The news preoccupation with the US extends to crime and politics too.
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Source: theguardian.com