NEWS MEDIA COVERAGE OF DISASTERS (ESMG 4200)
Ray Huntzinger
Reference:
Skeel, J. (2005, November). Thoughts on coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
Quill, 93(8), p.3.
Theme:
The theme of the article was that the modern news media coverage of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were only concerned with drama and
sensationalism, thereby minimizing coverage of factual events.
Summary:
--Media outlets only stayed around Hurricane Katrina until the next
disaster because the excitement was over
--It was suggested although there were very important stories to
cover, the media outlets pulled reporters out of the area because of
financial reasons.
--Many important social problems like poverty, government
inadequacies, and the financial impacts of disasters could have
provided lessons but were not focused on by the media.
--Media reports during the hurricane often reported inflated body
counts, sensational rumors that were not fact, and many other myths
that were treated as facts.
--Because reporters were in a hurry to deliver the latest sensational
story, they reported information that was not always factual, failing
to ensure their resources were accurate.
--Reporting of this nature fails to deliver the real story that may
teach society a lesson, and instead perpetuates fear and hopelessness.
Application to the lesson topic:
Media coverage that is primarily focused on sensationalism can often
have a negative impact on society as a whole by encouraging fear and
hopelessness. The media has an opportunity on either encourage this
fear/hopelessness or to also focus on reporting issues that can
benefit society in terms of education, preparation, and awareness.
Application to emergency services:
Since the media is such a powerful tool that can be used to promote
messages that are productive, emergency service agencies should focus
their messages in this direction when possible. Although the primary
role of media is to merely report the facts during a disaster,
emergency response organizations should also use the media as a tool
to promote education, preparedness, and awareness before they move on
to the next incident that may be more exciting.
Ray Huntzinger
Reference:
Skeel, J. (2005, November). Thoughts on coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
Quill, 93(8), p.3.
Theme:
The theme of the article was that the modern news media coverage of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were only concerned with drama and
sensationalism, thereby minimizing coverage of factual events.
Summary:
--Media outlets only stayed around Hurricane Katrina until the next
disaster because the excitement was over
--It was suggested although there were very important stories to
cover, the media outlets pulled reporters out of the area because of
financial reasons.
--Many important social problems like poverty, government
inadequacies, and the financial impacts of disasters could have
provided lessons but were not focused on by the media.
--Media reports during the hurricane often reported inflated body
counts, sensational rumors that were not fact, and many other myths
that were treated as facts.
--Because reporters were in a hurry to deliver the latest sensational
story, they reported information that was not always factual, failing
to ensure their resources were accurate.
--Reporting of this nature fails to deliver the real story that may
teach society a lesson, and instead perpetuates fear and hopelessness.
Application to the lesson topic:
Media coverage that is primarily focused on sensationalism can often
have a negative impact on society as a whole by encouraging fear and
hopelessness. The media has an opportunity on either encourage this
fear/hopelessness or to also focus on reporting issues that can
benefit society in terms of education, preparation, and awareness.
Application to emergency services:
Since the media is such a powerful tool that can be used to promote
messages that are productive, emergency service agencies should focus
their messages in this direction when possible. Although the primary
role of media is to merely report the facts during a disaster,
emergency response organizations should also use the media as a tool
to promote education, preparedness, and awareness before they move on
to the next incident that may be more exciting.
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