Does Media Really Care About You?

Everyone knows that when the OceanGate Submarine imploded, that's basically all that was on the news for an entire two weeks. Memes also became rampant, so if you didn't hear about it on TV, then you probably learned about it elsewhere. However, while these 4 rich people died, there was actually another ship that capsized off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea that killed roughly 600 people on board. And few were talking about it.

This begs the question of how news sources (and media in general) decide which stories are important enough to talk about. Of course, all news channels are politically biased to help cater to their viewers. CNN, for instance, is more left leaning, while FOX News is more conservative. Regardless, if a person happens to be more politically active, then they are more likely to be debated about on live television. 

Another factor (from what I have noticed) is that the more money you have, the more people will choose to talk about you. It's easily demonstrated by the OceanGate vs. Mediterranean boat. When dumbed down, it's really just asking people to decide which is worse: the deaths of a few billionaires or the deaths of 600 immigrants. Most people would say that the deaths of 600 weigh more, but news outlets seem to think otherwise. What kind of headline would get more views: "Teenager killed in downtown Chicago," or "President murdered in home"? This might possibly mean that the more money you have, the more influence you have. And the more influence you have, the more people will care about you. 

So, to answer the question of whether we even matter to media outlets, the answer is maybe. If you are politically active and/or have a lot of money, then yes, the media will be all over you. But for average people, such as myself, the answer would be no because why would anyone click on an article that only shares mundane information?

Side note: I do not wish to downplay the deaths of said millionaires, but the contract they signed before boarding stated the risks of death 3 times. The 600 immigrants did not have such a document.