Communicating suffering: where do you draw the line?

This article is by Polis Summer School student Alyssa Block on the guest talk by Polly Markandya, Head of Communications at Medecins Sans Frontieres Which issues do media organizations select for portrayal, and which do they ignore, and what does this selection bias say about the news media culture in which these decisions are made? How do perceptions about certain regions of the world or types of people affect audience reaction to viewing this suffering, and do they elicit or inhibit viewers to actively respond?