> it's very odd that relative number of affected people is not brought up I don't think it's that odd. It might seem that way though if you're only thinking in

> it's very odd that relative number of affected people is not brought up I don't think it's that odd. It might seem that way though if you're only thinking in terms of numbers. As a rough estimate, we can use the fact that "95% of customers remain without power" and "45% have access to drinking water" [1]. In other words, the numbers say the storm has likely affected all of Puerto Rico, that is about 3 million people. [1] https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1330501/dod-accelerates-hurricane-relief-response-efforts-in-puerto-rico/ https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1330501/dod-acc... > The Houston metro has twice the population of Puerto Rico. Surprisingly correct (the Greater Houston area has a TON of people), but I personally think you're missing an important component of the argument you're making. I don't think it's just simply "More people in Houston -> More media". I think a more accurate way to phrase it would be: "More people in Houston the media thinks more people would care about and watch TV for -> more media" In other words, I think this article is more useful to highlight why media does or does not find a certain topic worth covering. A greater population of people affected doesn't really match up with that argument. Extraordinarily few people are affected by terrorism, yet it's the bread of butter of hot news. Since the number people affected by a disaster doesn't seem to correlate with how the news covers it, I think it's wise to ask, "Why does the news think of Puerto Rico differently than the United States?", rather than assuming population is that reason because it's the simplest thing. I think it has a lot more to do with the fact that most Americans find it a lot easier to empathize with Bob and Joanne in Houston rather than Jose in Puerto Rico. Take of that what you will. I believe this is what the article was trying to get at. Why does the media think it's easier to empathize with Houston? What makes Puerto Rico different? Does this speak to greater societal issues in the United States and the way its media looks at itself?