Thanks for your comment, Erik.

I agree — it makes sense for countries with a closer geographic and cultural affinity to these countries to cover the conflict in more detail than those more distant.

One factor worth considering though is that many places in Europe and America are actually quite culturally diverse — much of which is centred in major cities (which in turn is where the highly visible media broadcast/print from).

This may explain the heightened controversy compared to what you may expect.