I really need to spell this out? The media of Hometown are vastly more likley to treat an immolation in Megdad as due to a legitimate grievance worthy of attention and down play any mental health problems or details that might paint the person in an unflattering light compared to someone who self-immolates in Hometown.

So basically your position summarizes to "a nation's establishment is more likely to control the media of that same nation instead of the media of a foreign nation?" That's indeed highly probable, yes.

Noble act of defiant self-sacrifice is far. Suicidal crazies are near.

Does that mean that Palestinians are more likely to see Palestinian suicide bombers as "suicidal crazies" and less likely as "noble and defiant self-sacrificing heroes" than an American is? Palestinians are far from America, and near to other Palestinians, so isn't that the sort of prediction that your near/far theory about sacrifice vs crazies would make?