CBS News v. New York Post: $1 Homes in Italy

 

In this post, I will be comparing the differences between CBS News and the New York Post in their coverage of Italy offering $1 homes to Americans in the wake of the US presidential election results.

CBS News: "Has life in the U.S. become too political? You can buy a house in Italy for $1."

• The village of Ollolai in Sardinia, Italy is offering politics-weary Americans in search for respite homes for next to nothing.
• This promotion offers homes for as low as about $1 and is aimed at foreigners disenchanted with their day-to-day lives. 
• In turn, this offer will incentivize Americans to move overseas and boost the area's economy.
• The advertisement of the website made to recruit foreigners to live in Ollolai reads: "Are you worned [sic] out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities? It's time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia"
• Homes in the village range from €1 to €100,000.
• The catch is that the cheapest home requires significant renovations and upkeep, costing buyers a lot more money than the price tag suggests.
• The village sees the post-US election climate as an opportunity.
• Citizenship consultancies and migration firms have received an uptick since Nov 5.
• The realities of uprooting one's life to move abroad are more complicated than they may initially seem. 
• Mayor Francesco Columbu notes that Ollolai is specifically targeting Americans. 
• He stated: "We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all. We can't of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card."
• Columbu's office has received almost 40,000 inquires about the homes. 

New York Post: "Italian Village offers $1 homes to Americans bent out of shape after Trump's landslide re-election win"

• An Italian village is offering $1 villas to Americans who, after Trump's decisive win, were sent into a tailspin and looking to flee the country.
• The village of Ollolai, located in Sardinia, is offering homes for as little as $1.06 to try to woo Americans in the wake of the Nov. 5 election results.
• In an advertisement on the town's website it read: “Are you worned [sic] out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities? It’s time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia.”
• The promotion mentions a beautiful climate, amazing food, and ancient traditions that can lead to a healthier and fuller life. 
• The mayor of Ollolai says that Americans are the target buyers.
• He stated: “We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all, We can’t of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.”
• The town has received over 38,000 requests for information on homes.
• The mayor has formed a specialized team to help guide international buyers through the purchase process.
• The area that the village is located in is world-renowned for being one of the five "blue zones" in the world.
• Blue zones are areas in the world where people have notably higher life expectancies. 
• The area has an average life expectancy of 79 for men and 85 for women.
• The area also has almost 10 times more centenarians than average.
• Ollolai is one of the first towns in Europe to offer the famous $1 deals on homes.
• This offer has since become a fixture of real estate in the Old World as it's made with the concept of economic revitalization.
• The properties included in this bargain require significant amounts of renovation.
• More expensive, ready-to-occupy homes are available in the town for $105,000. 
• Photos of the available properties will soon be available on the town's website.
• The majority of the homes are located in the city's historical center.
• The village is currently half-empty. 

Discussion

    I think that both sources did a fairly good job of reporting and sticking to the facts of the event. I found that the only major evidence of bias or political leaning was in the titles of the articles and their introductions. The title of the CBS News article "Has life in the U.S. become too political? You can buy a house in Italy for $1." gave me the impression that the author believes the US has become too political. As you move into the article's introduction, the author again brings up politic-weary Americans. This wording made me think that the author sympathizes with those who have been upset by the recent election results. The title of the New York Post Article "Italian Village offers $1 homes to Americans bent out of shape after Trump's landslide re-election win" almost seems to belittle the people upset by the election results. The wording used in the introduction to the article including "sent into a tailspin and looking to flee the country" seems to suggest that many people upset with the election results are overreacting. Besides the titles and introductions, I felt that the rest of both articles remained unbiased. I initially expected the New York Post article to be very negative towards the idea of Americans moving to the village however, I actually felt that this article did a better job highlighting the positive attributes of the village. 

    I found the content of the articles to be very interesting. I feel like I have seen a lot of left-leaning people on social media posting about how they are going to move to Canada or Europe now that Trump has won the election. I remember seeing similar posts after Trump's first presidential win. It's interesting that the village of Ollolai is trying to use this to its advantage and I'm curious to see how many Americans end up purchasing property in the village. Moving to a different country is such a complicated and difficult process, it makes me wonder how many of these people posting about leaving America are actually planning on following through with that. 

    What do you think about this situation? Could you ever see yourself moving to a different country as a result of political dissatisfaction?