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In the news industry the guiding rule is simple, "if it bleeds it leads." News has become about entertainment and human interest. Only a small portion of any nightly news program spends more than just a couple of minutes on important issues that do not immediately affect its viewers.

After all, why would an apathetic public care about anything happening in the world that does not affect them? Global poverty is a major demanding problem, just not in most developed nations. It is the great paradox of our time that while so many are dying of extreme poverty millions are dealing with obesity in developed nations.

So the news, rather than focusing on poverty, focused on gluttony. Headlines about a popular coffee store closing its stores eclipses the story about soup kitchens in need of supplies. Medical breakthroughs involving removing belly fat demand more news attention than millions dying of starvation.

The United Nations stood up and took notice, making the elimination of extreme poverty one of its millennial goals. The target is to eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. As noble as that goal may be it is a lofty and seemingly unreachable target. Since declaring that goal in 2000 very little headway has been made.

Even now, with less than half of the originally scheduled timeframe remaining very little is happening, it no longer seems to be a concern around the world. The price of gas in developed nations is more important than the price of food in developing countries.

So, what does it take to make poverty an important news story?

As with all news stories, something of an immediate concern- something bleeding- is the most important story. Poverty may never be an immediate concern in most developing nations, but it can be a story on the forefront of everyone's mind.

The sad reality is that as poverty exists everywhere, even in nations where obesity seems to reign. As food prices continue to climb and those already living on the edge begin to tumble over it poverty will start to come too close to home for comfort.

The news stations may run some human interest pieces on a family that is struggling, but most likely poverty will continue to be ignored as a major news story. Apathy is prevalent in most households in developed nations.

The answer apathy is knowledge and involvement. As people become more aware of the crisis of extreme poverty something can be done about it on a local level. Businesses should encourage employees to get involved in the community, teenagers should

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