By Sylvia Keareney
References: McEntire, D. A. (2007). Disciplines, Disasters and Emergency Management: The Convergence and Divergence of Concepts, Issues and Trends From the Research Literature. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher, LTD. (Chapter 6, pp 75)
Theme: Everyone has their own opinion as to what might happen after a major disaster, however definitive knowledge only comes from first hand experience. This includes Mass Communication and Journalism. Most of the time opinions are different and knowledge is hardly ever shared, which causes irreconcilable differences.
Summary:
- There is a substantial research by scholars in a number of disciplines and by scholars in Journalism and Mass Communications. The two appear unaware of what each other is doing.
- Cross-referencing is rare. The scholarship shows that the media can play a critical role before, during and after such incidents.
- The media are essential, for example, for warnings to be effective and may be the single most important source of public information in the wake of a disaster.
- The scholarship also shows that media reports that distort what happens in a disaster and lead to misunderstandings.
- Failure by officials to issue a warning, may be a result of the myth that people panic, a myth perpetuated by the media.
- Media scholarship also shows, however, that in one area where the media are often criticized they are not guilty as charged: the limited research available suggests many victims and relatives of victims welcome the presence of the media and do not see journalists as intruders.
Application to the Lesson Topic: The word is unity. A common ground, a change of culture, a change of values and norms are necessary to see improvements. As Rudyard Kipling once said, “Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” (Kipling, R.) If Mass Communication and Journalism could get together and communicate and share information instead creating this marketing strategy of competition, we would be a lot more informed. For example, if I have an idea and you have an idea, we both have only one idea. However, if I share my idea with you and you share your idea with me, then we both have two ideas.
Application to Emergency Services: Emergency Services has become an important stepping-stone for the media. Through media is where information reaches the consumer. As participants in EMS, a better image can be gleaned, which could benefit EMS as a whole with possible funding for educating employees, better equipment, (like in Detroit) and other programs. “Be Prepared,” isn’t a far-fetched motto of the Boy Scouts of America. It’s a mantra everyone should follow.
Additional References
East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. (n.d.). The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Retrieved September 05, 2013, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet
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Isn't it interesting that the media mostly reports garbage? We are, however, dependent on them to learn what is happening in the world. We rely on the media to inform us about disaster events which could affect us, that and the weather forecast.
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