6 Jeffrey Martin - Role of Mass Media in the Disaster Preparedness

Jeffrey Martin

Reference:  Seid-Aliyeva, D. E. (2006). Role of Mass Media in the Disaster Preparedness and Sustainable Development of Society. AIP Conference Proceedings, 825(1), 79-83. doi:10.1063/1.2190733 Retrieved from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uvu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2e8c9ef6-0b1e-4e65-8ff7-7eb5d1c3ae13%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=7

Theme:  Mass media serves a vital role in disaster preparation and resiliency.

Summary:  With the world’s population growing, and dense population centers growing more and more dense, mass media is playing an important role in disaster preparedness.  Mass media is able to educate and warn a virtually limitless number of people about disasters.  It is important to only disseminate reliable and verified information.  The media should present information in a way that promotes order, and clearly instructs people what to do.

·          After disaster occurs, any information related to the disaster should be checked thoroughly.

·          The incoming information has to be objective, true, exhaustive, and calm.

·          Train journalists on how to cover properly natural disasters in mass media.

·          Well-informed and

·          An educated population is a guarantor of healthy society and sustainable development.

·

Application: Disasters can strike anywhere and at any time.  When a disaster hits an area, one of the first things people do is turn on the television or radio for information and instruction on how to proceed or what do to.  It is important to forge good relationships with local media outlets before a disaster strikes.  As a PIO, it is imperative that they have your contact information.  Likewise, you must be available for contact at any time.  By forging these relationships before an emergency occurs, the media will know you and will trust the information you give them.  This will help to ensure that the correct information and instructions are broadcast to the public. 

Analysis of Media Agenda Setting During and After Hurricane Katrina: Implications for Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Response, and Disaster Policy

Joseph Galbraith

Reference: Barnes, M, PhD, Hanson, C. Novilla, N., Meacham, A. McIntyre, E.

(2008). Analysis of Media Agenda Setting During and After Hurricane Katrina: Implications for Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Response, and Disaster Policy. American Journal of Public Health. Pgs 604-610

Theme: The media has the ability to shape public perception during and after a disaster which in turn can affect public policy.

Summary:

• Statistical analysis was conducted on four prominent newspapers on the Hurricane Katrina Disaster.

• Most of the news stories focused on response as opposed to preparedness.

• The federal government was the focus of blame rather than the individual citizens.

• The efforts of public health officials and practitioners to market preparedness through the media is not a priority for the news outlets before the disaster.

•78% of the news stories focused on response and recovery.  8.9% focused mitigation and preparation.

• 40% of the articles focused on accountability of the federal government.  13.8% attributed blame to the individual citizens.

• The overwhelming negative tone expressed towards the federal government's response forced government officials to consider policy changes.

Application to the lesson topic:

The media can play a large role in the shaping of public opinion which will in turn force policy makers to consider changes.  The agenda of the media can produce bias and sometimes false information.

Application to emergency services:

In emergency services we have to learn how to use the media to our advantage.  We must know how to market our product using the media.  This relationship starts well before the disaster using our information officers.  We must also understand the agenda and goals of the particular media outlet that we are dealing with.  Sometimes we have no choice but to play to their agenda in order to push out information in times of crisis.

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. 

               

Media: Its impact on Disaster

John Scardena

Reference:

Houston, J. (2008). Experiencing disasters indirectly: how traditional and new media disaster coverage impacts youth. Prevention Researcher, 15(3), 14-17.

Theme:

Media can indirectly blast children after a disaster, but there is a growing risk with more media sources

Summary:

-All over the World, weather locally or internationally children were negatively affected by the events in 9/11.

- The stress from seeing images shown by media sources hurt children.

-Youth feel in danger as a result of viewing disasters via media.

-Children that have been exposed to media show Post Traumatic Stress.

-Media today has lower standards; they are based on how many people will be impressed by them, not the morality of the shot.

-Media today makes children form thoughts and opinions based on the graphic images they see not by the history books.

 - Children that were exposed to 9/11 via the internet showed greater trauma.

-It is the responsibility of adults to understand what children are watching around them.

Application to Lesson Topic:

            This lesson is all about how much we really do soak up from the media. This article is a perfect example of the exposure of that source it has on us. I believe that we need to be aware that media is a for profit business and to use it as a tool and not as the library.

Application to Emergency Services:

            I think just as important to be aware of what the media and the images it pushes on people, we need to be aware of the dangers of what happens when they see these disasters first hand. We can be positive to the media; we can keep calm and give hope. If we as responders show hope, we can move the message in a positive way. 

South Asia Tsunami and Pakistan Earthquake Compared

Lesson 1 Reading Summary
By Michael Newland
 Reference:

Weberling, B. (2009). Mobilizing Disaster Relief: U.S. Media Coverage and Public Response to the Tsunami and Pakistan Earthquake. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association; Annual Meeting, pg 1-31.

South Asia Tsunami 2004

Theme: In 2004 and 2005 a massive tsunami devastated South Asia and a massive earthquake devastated Pakistan. The media provided coverage for both disasters but the tsunami relief efforts raised $1.8 billion compared to only $129 million raised for the earthquake.

Summary:

·         In 2004 a large earthquake formed a tsunami that completely devastated South East Asia.

·         In 2005 a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Pakistan and parts of India and Afghanistan.

·         The Tsunami killed more than 165,000 people leaving thousands more homeless, injured, or missing.

·         The earthquake killed more than 73,000 people, injured 128,000, and more than 3,000,000 were left homeless.

·         U.S. donations for the tsunami totaled more than $1.8 billion while Pakistan only got $129 million.

·         Far more people were affected by the earthquake in Pakistan but they received far less money from donations.

·         The Tsunami occurred first and it was all over the media so people were very willing to donate.

·         When the earthquake happened they had just finished hearing all about the Tsunami. Patrick Rooney of Indiana University said the response to the tsunami was “Off the charts.” He also said that donor fatigue was a possible reason for reduced aid to Pakistan.

·         The media overplayed the tsunami so much that when the earthquake happened the public was just tired of hearing about pledges of support.

Application to the lesson topic: The mass media is the main source of information the public gets about disasters. When something huge happens like the tsunami or earthquake it is all over the media for weeks. That much coverage of  an issue can lead to a public outcry and possible even a policy change.

Application to emergency services: These disasters can be extremely devastating to a community. It can be especially devastating to a third world country where they don’t have the resources to manage these situations. It is important for these countries to receive any help they can get so the emergency services can get out there and help.