Media Coverage of Disasters

Reading Summary #1 ESMG 4200

Randy Rask

References:

Jeong, Yongick; Lee, Sun Young. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association , 2010 Annual Meeting, p1, 0p

Theme:

This articles theme is based on the different various factors that influence the United States international news media coverage.  There was a study over the course of four weeks that mathematically broke down the different variables that different countries had on U.S. news media coverage.

Summary:

-          -There were 137 international disasters that took place over this 14 year study.  These disasters took place in 56 countries.  The different countries cultural, socio-economic, political and geographical conditions in regards to the United States were taken into consideration of how U.S. news media would cover their disasters.

-         - These different disasters are broken down into types of disasters, number of lives lost, and cost of losses.

-         - During the first week of these disasters, the degree of damage seemed to be the most significant factor in determining U.S. news media coverage, regardless of national ties to the United States. 

-        -  During the second week, nation ties such as U.S. trade imports and exports determined the news media's coverage of each individual disaster. 

-          -Crossing over into the third week, these trade imports and exports ties to the U.S. start to disappear.  Now we see a trend of the country's economic power in the world.  Countries with a large amount of economic power gained more U.S. news media coverage.

-          -During the fourth week of the disaster, the country's economic power still seems to be the biggest factor on news media coverage by the U.S. along still with the degree of damage by the disaster. 

-          -Overall, the degree of damage was the biggest variable in determining how much U.S. news media coverage would take place over each given disaster. 

Application to the lesson topic:

United States news media coverage of international disasters can relate to the lesson topic in a few ways.  First, the media coverage of these disasters forms the opinions of people viewing them.  If there is poor aid responses to these disasters, people are going to know and wonder why and how response can become better.  Also, this article can be related to our lesson topic because it can compare to our Nation's disasters.  Media coverage is going to cover those disasters that have the largest degree of damage.

Application to emergency services: 

I think that this article can be related to emergency services because it affects how international aid agencies will respond to these disasters.  The more U.S. news coverage that an international disaster might have, the more likely U.S. agencies will become involved.