FGM in the Media

In American media, FGM is one of the many international human rights issues that is not addressed regularly. On cnn.com this was the last mention of it which was on September 22 of this year, and the most emphasis was placed on the U.S. Attorney General's strong, but uncharacteristic stance against the woman's deportation, due to its status as a small case dealing with deportation. And prior to that In reality, the media coverage of FGM in the U.S. has been limited to say the least. It seems FGM was not a salient issue with the American public until documentaries and stories were released by outlets such as the Discovery Channel, which are more likely to focus on the human rights issues associated with certain cultural practices. The American "hard" news organizations such as CNN, tend to focus on the legal ramifications and any international decisions, but do not make the issue a priority in their coverage of international human rights issues.
In contrast, BBC News has more coverage of FGM with a wider breadth of informaton available surrounding the issue. FGM is practiced in many cultures internationally, and the BBC News coverage shows that. While it is not given it's own section of the website, FGM is discussed in relation to where the news stories occur and on the larger scale, examining the efforts large organizations are making on behalf of the cause. This story in particular looks at how the UN has become a champion of women's rights, and is working to eliminate all abuses against women during the observance of the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.