Structure: Al Jazeera's State of the Union coverage

Unlike the other sources used in my blog post concerning President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, Al Jazeera is not based in the United States.

This means that Al Jazeera's readers have different priorities from those who read American news sources. They are more concerned with how Obama plans to handle foreign policy in his second term as president.

The Al Jazeera story succinctly melds both foreign and domestic policy goals into its lead. The second paragraph gives readers the time and place elements of the story, as well as further detailing Obama's domestic plan.

Further paragraphs focus on Obama's comments regarding North Korea's recent nuclear test and his plan to initiate talks with the European Union over a trans-Atlantic trade agreement.

Since Al Jazeera deemed the president's speech heavy on domestic affairs, it may seem odd for the article to focus almost exclusively on foreign policy. Obama's remarks on climate change and gun control, much more prominent in other news outlets' coverage, are buried under two subheads in the Al Jazeera article.

This story's structure works because the writer knows his or her audience. Readers don't look to Al Jazeera for coverage centered around the United States. In fact, many American readers probably seek it out because it provides an international perspective.

Therefore, focusing the story on Obama's foreign policy remarks makes sense. If readers want to see how the president's plans will influence the United States, they can find a news source based in the country. For international considerations, a foreign news outlet is right to structure its story so that foreign affairs are more prominent.