Important Stories the Media Mostly Missed in 2014

Four well-known journalists offer their most underreported news stories of 2014.
Important Stories the Media Mostly Missed in 2014
Left: A plume of exhaust extends from a Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Top center: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Courtney Kealy/Getty Images) Bottom center: A “now hiring” sign in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Right: People idle in an impoverished informal camp in South Africa. Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images
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WASHINGTON—Before the end of the year, we can expect some news media to proclaim the major stories of the year. That list may include the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370, the flood of unaccompanied immigrant children across the U.S.-Mexican border, the rise of ISIS, protests in Ferguson, the Ebola outbreak, Hong Kong democracy protests, Veterans Administration scandal, and security breaches at Target, Home Depot, eBay, and Sony Pictures.

However, some significant stories received little media attention, according to Jane Harman, president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and former congresswoman. Harman introduced four leading journalists from some of the world’s largest media organizations who spoke on a panel Dec. 10 about what they considered to be the most underreported news stories of 2014.

(L to R) Robin Wright, journalist and author; Greg Ip, U.S. economics editor, The Economist; Elisabeth Bumiller, deputy Washington bureau chief, The New York Times; and Edward Schumacher-Matos, ombudsman, NPR. On Dec. 10, 2014, at the Wilson Center, this panel discussed the underreported news stories of 2014. (Gary Feuerberg/Epoch Times)
(L to R) Robin Wright, journalist and author; Greg Ip, U.S. economics editor, The Economist; Elisabeth Bumiller, deputy Washington bureau chief, The New York Times; and Edward Schumacher-Matos, ombudsman, NPR. On Dec. 10, 2014, at the Wilson Center, this panel discussed the underreported news stories of 2014. Gary Feuerberg/Epoch Times