Ever since reading the New York Times, I’ve always wondered how simple Germany is portrayed. And ever since David’s Medienkritik virtual existence, I’ve wondered whether persistence is good for everyone.

Interest in other countries outside the urban megalopolis is rare, so it goes. Reading about Somalia in the Smoky Mountain Times is rare, only if the army is involved of course. Yet since the era of blogs and personal media, we’ve seen more views and news filling the gaps. Still, big media haven’t changed. You’ll find the same stories about Germany over and over again; with occasional excitement about Berlin as a travel destination.

Recent exhibit: Rice’s stop-over in Germany. Take into consideration that Merkel is more popular than Schröder in the US media. In the CNN piece, the focus is upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the revival of talks, whereas Madame Secretary used another “back rub” moment to announce the invitation,

“During Thursday’s news conference Rice invited the International Quartet representatives to Washington for the upcoming talks, including Merkel, whose country now holds the European Union presidency.”