Hurricane Katrina Presentation

Coverage of Hurricane Katrina: Newspaper, Television, & Radio

Newspaper Coverage of Hurricane Katrina

Effective Print Coverage: During Hurricane Katrina 8/25: St. Petersberg Times “While Katrina swirls, county casts wary eye” •Informative article, gives readers facts they need to know • Advises readers to remain in cautionary state •Doesn’t try to sensationalize the crisis as other publications do •Advises readers to prepare for disaster and gives them tips for survival. •Refers readers to sources which give constant updates on the storms destruction and helps locate citizens http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=de1716eb42&view=att&th=123f204e09e9467b&attid=0.0&disp=vah&zw

Ineffective Print Coverage: 8/26 The New York Times “A Blast of Rain but Little Damage as Hurricane Hits South Florida”

•''I feel pretty comfortable that this is a minor event,'' said Mark Golden as he bought flashlights and water at a Home Depot in Boca Raton, about 40 miles north of here. Mr. Golden said he was not even planning to cover his windows with plywood. • A grocery bagger at a Publix grocery store says, ''There's no panicking, just shopping.'’ • Although there has been tremendous destruction; the NYT neglects to report on the obvious devastation. •Gives readers a false state regarding actual status of New Orleans. •NYT over simplifies major struggles faced by hurricane victims http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=de1716eb42&view=att&th=123f21a75dc4cdca&attid=0.0&disp=vah&zw

Ineffective Print Coverage: Post Crisis 9/21 The Washington Post “Experts Say Faulty Levees Caused Much of Flooding” •“Louisiana's top hurricane experts have rejected the official explanations for the floodwall collapses that inundated much of New Orleans, concluding that Hurricane Katrina's storm surges were much smaller than authorities have suggested and that the city's flood- protection system should have kept most of the city dry.” •“Intense focus on the chaotic government response to the flood. But the real scandal of Katrina is the "catastrophic structural failure" of barriers that should have handled the hurricane with relative ease.”

• It was obvious to most that the levee system was the reason such destruction occurred. •Washington Post was repetitive in its reporting of facts that were stated over and over again.

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=de1716eb42&view=att&th=123f224e1d7d7824&attid=0.0&disp=vah&zw

Print Newspaper Coverage: The Times-Picayune ¥ Daily newspaper for New Orleans ¥ Ineffective coverage for residents needing help ¥ Needed more practical information before Aug. 29 (approx. date Katrina hit) such as evacuation routes ¥ After flooding, New Orleans residents needed more coverage on shelters, food banks, and evacuation help on the way ¥ Aside from that, good continuous reporting on unsafe areas and buildings ¥ Switched to PDF format after its own news building became flooded ¥ Never stopped reporting during the crisis

What did the Times-Picayune Report? • Combination of local and national news • National news focused on lack of government response from President Bush • Opinion pieces criticized FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency

• Struggle of Times-Picayune journalist Chris Rose to get his family out • Very real perspective on Katrina

• Looting coverage • Cops joining in the looting

• Hospitals needing help transporting patients • Individual stories of volunteers and rescuers

Print Newspaper Coverage: American Press • Daily newspaper for Lake Charles, Louisiana • Effective coverage for New Orleans residents needing help • Thorough coverage on parishes throughout Louisiana offering help for evacuees • Very thorough coverage on transportation, shelters, and food banks offering assistance to evacuees in Aug. 30th issue

Television Coverage of Hurricane Katrina

NBC Nightly News • Effective reporting evaluating what exactly went wrong, shows the lack of disaster preparedness and goes into very thorough detail on this matter • Provides an understanding for both New Orleans residents as well as those in other parts of the country of why things happened the way that they did • Effective also because it doesn’t shy away from what local authorities and federal authorities did wrong • Examines 3 key areas of breakdown that could have prevented this tragedy: • Delay in ordering mandatory evacuation (just 19 hours before landfall) • The Levees failed • Government mismanagement (complete breakdown in coordination & communication)

Hurricane Katrina from a TV Perspective-

CNN Nightly News COVERAGE Before Hurricane Katrina- September 2004 • CNN reporter coverage on Hurricane Ivan and his predictions of such disaster •Benefits of televised reportin- reporter first-hand learning by attending the scene of an incident gives reporter inside information they can process by themselves and relay to viewers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb5O6sg79Mo

CNN Coverage Days Leading up…. •Ineffective: Wasn’t until Aug. 24th that CNN reported about the hurricane approaching Florida; included a Live interview with National Hurricane Center director Max Mayfield, who describes the dooming damage status of the storm as ‘mediocore’. •Aug. 25th : Most of this broadcast keeps up with Hurricane Katrina moving into Florida; included a taped interview with Max Mayfield who only talks about flooding concerns for Florida. • Not until Aug 27th does CNN start talking about New Orleans residents evacuating. Photos are shown from Hurricane Camille damage in 1969. Live interview with Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blancot about her state’s preparations for the storm. •Aug 28th - First time there is in-depth coverage of New Orleans, for example, first time CNN interviews residents (only 2), noted the magnitude of the storm, talks bout the Superdome and Red Cross there; Live interview again with Max Mayfield- talks about expected category 5 and what these categories mean.

Effective CNN Coverage During… •Focusing on most hit parish even though poor area •Asking the questions we (the nation) want to know to member of the National Guard •Who/How many are left behind? •What are they doing about it NOW to rescue people? •Live and emotional radio interviews with helpers and victims both; all while showing live aerial view of the damage. •Human awkwardness- a call for the nation’s help without having to state it. •24 hour CNN coverage; accumulated reports for evening news. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpsdPm4JsU4&feature=related

Ineffective CNN Coverage •Evacuation not discussed on CNN until Sunday, Aug. 27th

Knowing the poor information originally given to CNN by the director of the National Hurricane Center through live and taped interviews days leading up to landfall in New Orleans, to what extent can the media be blamed? The government? To what extent could CNN coverage have influenced more people to relocate? -demonstration of severity of situation -pressure from out-of-state family members

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFAsyYnTkIw

What do YOU think of this CNN coverage: Effective or Not? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsuRCXiYGO4&NR=1 Strengths of TV: Being able to SEE the interview, watch Senator Mary Landrieu’s face in response to serious questions while Watching visual images of the actual event in the background. -emotional pull -pictures say 1,000 words

CNN Coverage After…. •Aug. 30th - 2 hour special of aftermath of Hurricane Katrina- lots of coverage on how President Bush is visiting and accounting for the damage; more news stories already being covered, including an ostrich being loose on the Golden Gate Bridge and the rise in SAT scores. •Aug. 31st President talks about the years it will take the Federal Gov to finalize relief efforts**INEFFECTIVE: TV’s broad public and lack of ability to go beyond generalizing information----> First day CNN gives out Red Cross relief numbers to general public • Sept 1st is the first time that CNN mentions that perhaps the federal government should have been ready to respond sooner- 1 story; coverage on individual family stories. •Sept 3- one story covering government involvement suggesting US should have a better plan for relief efforts in emergency; by this point, there is only one main story covering the hurricane- interrupted by coverage of the death of Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist. ** INEFFECTIVE: TV’s quick lash back in to the informational world & move on to the next, newer, bigger story.

Public Radio Coverage of Hurricane Katrina

During The Hurricane • August 25, 2005 - “Florida Storm Damage and U.S. Oil Supplies” – Documents what local residents in Florida are doing to prepare – Fear of increase in oil prices - no discussion of fear of inland destruction – “Katrina is not a killer storm” - Eric Weiner

During The Hurricane • August 29, 2005 - “Hurricane Katrina Update” (Talk of the Nation) – “No one has really been able to get out yet, not even the National Guard” – “The famed levy has been breached by this storm… heard reports of people on their roof tops… but this is not widespread”

In the Days Following • August 30, 2005 - “Mississippi Hard-Hit by Katrina” – “Got the full force of Katrina” – Documents death toll, damage figures, etc… – Gives more of an update than an analysis

Prepared for Disaster? • Reviewing Bush and Roberts (All Things Considered) – Knew that this was the most anticipated natural disaster in human history, but it was an utter governmental failure – Will be influential on politics in the coming years; will remind people that the government will be the enemy… until you need a friend