By BREANA ROSS
If you asked most Americans to name the deadliest terrorist group in the world, the response you would most likely receive would be, “ISIS, of course.” That response is actually wrong. ISIS is not the deadliest terrorist organization in the world.
Boko Haram, an African terrorist group, is the deadliest terrorist organization in the world. Americans are unaware of an issue that plagues millions of people. Why is that?
It is no secret that the news media is biased. That bias also extends to international news. ISIS is constantly in the news media because they attack the West. Boko Haram kills more people than ISIS, but most Americans have never even heard the name of the group because the group does not affect the West. But does the lack of attacks on western lives make the information any less valuable? Millions of lives lost is a problem, whether they’re westerners or not.
Boko Haram has appeared in the news media this week as a past story has resurfaced. Two years ago, gunmen associated with Boko Haram kidnapped hundreds of girls from a boarding school in Nigeria. For two years, the girls were not seen or heard. This week, a video, proving that some of the girls are still alive, surfaced and was shown to the families of the girls. The emotional meeting and viewing of the video caused the name of the terrorist group to make headlines, a rare occasion.
To me, the issue here is lack of education. There is no reason why news media should avoid covering Boko Haram when it is the deadliest terrorist organization in the world. Americans rely on the news media to educate the public on what’s important. At least being able to identify such a massive terrorist group is important, whether that group is here in the West or overseas.