Monday, May 2, 2011
Storm Coverage
I want you to read up on the local, regional, and national coverage of last week’s storms. Get a sense of the tone, focus, and purpose of several different articles (make sure to read articles from different publications). Then I want you to blog about your observations of this coverage. You can in whatever direction you want, but your goal is to ANALYZE (aka argue with support) the media coverage of this most recent event. Try to help us see the past few days from a different or more thoughtful angle.
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From the devastating images to the miracle stories to the straight up news, the coverage of last week’s storms is focused on helping the community. Not only does the news inform people, but it also guides them to help their neighbors. On the television, the anchors read off information about the storms, but it is all negative. Along with this depressing monologue, pictures are displayed of houses swept away by the tornadoes, rubble covering the city, and gray clouds looming in the sky. It hits the listener all at once, the hard, undeniable truth that nearly everyone around him is suffering. Then, the newscasters conclude with a brief plea to donate to the Red Cross, and nearly every listener is sold. Looking at the devastation, how could they not help? Also, it is important to note that the audience watching the news obviously has electricity. The major focus on the television is that one third of Chattanooga is out of power. Thus, the station guilt trips its audience into helping. With a major part of the community suffering, it’s difficult not to feel awful when you are one of the privileged ones actually watching this broadcast. So the listener gives back by donating, starting a clothing drive, or opening his home for people to take hot showers in.
ReplyDeleteJust to emphasize their point that the watcher should get up and help, the newscasters add an occasional story about someone else in the community supporting those in need. In the midst of the tragic information about the power outages, the loss of homes, and the many deaths, these are the only uplifting stories, and they aren’t even that happy. The station still emphasizes the destruction only adding that people are doing something to fix the problem. But most importantly, more help is needed. Thus, the point of the news articles and television coverage is not simply to inform the community of what has happened. It is to get the community involved in rebuilding and aiding those affected by the storm by guilt-tripping them into it. Those mildly or unaffected should feel sorry for their neighbors and guilty about their fortune in the midst of the tragedy.
Since the storms occurred this past Wednesday, I have witnessed a great coming-together of a community. Many people dropped everything just to assist others in getting their lives back together after the devastation. Newscasters urged people to get out into their cities and help repair the damage. Throughout places directly affected by the storms, articles reflected the upset and horrified emotions of the people in these towns. In a Knoxville news website, known as KnoxNews, one of their first articles covering the storm spoke of how "residents reported smashed windshields on vehicles and broken windows in homes in South Knoxville, where the storms also left nearly 6,900 Knoxville Utilities Board customers without power." This detailed description of the storms provides readers with a mental image of the destruction that occurred, giving them a sense of sympathy and willingness to help. Words like "smashed " and "broken" create a harsh, terrifying tone, necessary to achieve this sympathy.
ReplyDeleteBut how did places not directly hit by the storms cover this news? Although some covered them with as much detail and pathos, many did not. On a Wisconsin news site, the first article involving this storm was not actually about the storm. It was about how to protect themselves if a tornado were to hit Wisconsin. Although it was written just hours after the worst of the storms had occurred, no direct mention of the storms even exists in the article. It's possible that they did not realize the severity of the storms at that point, but their next article pertaining to the storms, written the next day, also makes no direct reference. The entire article is about how the Southern storms might affect their own weather, with the only reference to the storms being in the description, which reads, "the historic tornado outbreak from Wednesday has people concerned about what this active month of April means for the rest of tornado season, especially, in Western Wisconsin." There is no pathos. There are no descriptions. There are no cries for help. The focus is entirely upon the people living in the Wisconsin area. It makes me question how our own community would have reacted had these storms had occurred elsewhere.
There are few articles that lack accompanying images of the devastation left by the tornadoes. The stories that have been written all have one goal in mind: pathos. The difference between them is how the writer of the article goes about getting the reaction he wants.
ReplyDeleteOne article that appeared in the New York Times online was more factual than anything, discussing death toll, power outages, and tornado ratings. And rightly so – death will always get a response from newsreaders that are not personally related to the problem. The article concluded with information about a visit from Charlie Sheen, a figure who entertains the public, so it ends on a lighter, more optimistic note.
Another article that appeared online for a local Alabama news station took a different approach. The article followed one family that was hit twice by the devastating tornadoes. The article includes extensive dialogue from family members including stories unrelated to the storms. Death separated this man from his wife as well as two other family members. The article recounts the events of his wife’s death as well as how they met and what his wife liked to do for recreation.
These articles are written for their audiences. The people reading the New York Times article are probably individuals from outside the south, looking for information, and they feel for those affected because of the statistics. This article contains no call to action because of the distance that separates most readers and the devastation. The people reading the Alabama local news know the statistics. They are looking for stories. It is likely that they knew this family, or a family that was affected in a similar way, and is only looking for resolution. This article, like the New York Times, contains no call to action, because the citizens of Alabama need no call. They are busy cleaning up their own homes. These two articles are examples of how news articles are written to accommodate the needs of their audiences.
How much do we matter? According to 100.7 FM, a lot. In fact, the focus of their news broadcasts is helping those affected by the tornadoes. But while the local radio and news stations are focusing on the devastation across the South, the national and international news sources have other priorities. The BBC's focus after the storms hit was the royal wedding between Catherine Middleton and Prince William. Yet, after the floods in Pakistan, the floods were the focus of their articles for many days. Yes, there was a higher death toll in Pakistan, but could the US not have been the focus for one day? The South did weather a natural disaster with tornadoes at least a mile wide. Even in the United States, most national news stations have lost interest in the tornado aftermath since the death of Osama Bin Laden. Every article I read about the tornadoes had multiple links to articles about Bin Laden. Also, as Natalie stated, Wisconsin was more concerned with how our storms would affect them than the people affected here.
ReplyDeleteBesides being second place in the coverage race, no nation has offered assistance after the storms wreaked their havoc. But why would they when there was no help after Hurricane Katrina? The US is one of the most powerful nations in the world, but other nations could still care. Many would say that I am being dramatic. And they may be right. Maybe I am only bothered because the devastation was nearby and affected people I know, the houses I drive by, and the surrounding community.
A report from the Huffington post on the tornadoes that ripped through the southeast last week makes its readers feel informed and ready to help. It starts with short, fragmented sentences conveying the sense of confusion and urgency that so many victims of the tornadoes now feel. For readers like my brother, who now lives out of the south, were well informed of the sheer force and repercussions of the storm. It provides death tolls, storm reports, and links that take you to websites for relief efforts. It also includes quotes and stories of the victims living in Alabama who have lost homes, family members, and friends. Directly quoting an emotional and shaken Tuscaloosa mayor creates the pathos that Sarah Douglas was talking about. It evokes a sense of human dignity to help one another and to help put an end to our neighbors suffering.
ReplyDeleteIn another report from the Los Angeles Times, stories proved to be the main focus to inform the people on the west cost of the destruction endured by their fellow countrymen and women. The writer chose to shine a hopeful light on the devastating situation in Alabama and other southern states. The article focuses on the search for missing people in the south. It tells the real yet horrifying numbers of people missing but then turns around and reminds the reader that while many are still missing, many have been located simply by making a telephone call. This article definitely shed some light on the situation, letting the west coast know that there is hope for those affected by the storms and informing them that the search is still on. Intensifying the magnitude but the amazing response the storm has fostered.
The news is a funny thing. Sometimes important stories never make it on air or are never printed in the paper. Other times, seemingly trivial stories, like that of a particular celebrity’s stupidity, grasp the attention of the news media and the public for weeks. As the tornados hit the southeast, destroying buildings, homes, and families, there was nothing in the news that I watched or read that stood out. It all seemed like fair, factual coverage. Words like “devastating,” “tragic,” and “death toll,” were all used, correctly describing the damage the tornados had done. The news had done justice to cover the story, as it still is. However the actions of one newscaster seemed particularly different.
ReplyDeleteBrian Williams, one of America’s most well known newscasters, traveled to England last Wednesday night to cover the much anticipated royal wedding. When he touched down in England it was already morning there, and he mentally prepared himself for the day ahead. Before he even arrived at the location, he was notified of the events in the south and he and his boss “agreed the tragedy [back home] should dominate the newscast and NBC’s coverage.” After a long flight to England, Williams immediately turned back and flew home, knowing that at the moment there was nothing more important than covering the tragedy that his home was facing.
So, when analyzing this man’s actions, I can’t help but think that his decision is reflective of the entire disaster. Williams, like other Americans, was clearly “haunted” by the weather forecast, as he said in his blog post. Knowing he is one of the most watched newscasters, Williams knew he needed to come home and do his job, and leave one of the most anticipated events behind. Other things will always be going on in the world, but when it comes down to it, I strongly believe that Americans will always hold a certain amount of loyalty to each other. Whether it was William’s decision, the NYT moving the royal wedding to the bottom half of their website while the storm coverage took the top, or various facebook groups devoted to spreading the word about who needs help, Americans will always come together in times of crisis, and that is what I believe the news coverage showed.
During and after the devastating tornados that swept through the Southeast last week, I went to my favorite news source, NPR, to keep updated on how people were coping with the disaster. The majority of the news reports I listened to focused on President and Mrs. Obama’s visits to families whose homes were destroyed by the tornados and Obama’s plans to aid relief and rebuilding efforts in the affected areas. On April 29th, All Things Considered played clips from President Obama’s meeting with families in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Obama began by expressing his condolences and then went on to say, "I've never seen devastation like this. It is heartbreaking." Including this statement made by the president of the United States drives home the magnitude of the destruction in the South caused by the tornados. If the president says he has never seen anything this devastating, it must be bad. The program then played a clip of President Obama’s pledge to help the families in Tuscaloosa. He says, "I want to just make a commitment to the communities here that we are going to do everything we can to help these communities rebuild.” Highlighting President Obama’s commitment to help the South gives hope to the families affected by the storms and to the nation as a whole. It also encourages others to make the same commitment.
ReplyDeleteWhat I believe the media is doing that is most effective, is the way that they are re showing images that they have already shown. It is understandable that they only have so much coverage, and they only have so much to say at this point, but however, each night I have realized how they literally repeat the exact same thing and show the exact same, devastating pictures. They nail the idea into your head to leave you stunned. Therefore, you keep watching. The next night is the same. A new, small bunch of pictures. In the background of showing the pictures, they repeat merely the same thing as they did the night before...with maybe a little more information. I think that this is effective because it is instilling these repetitive images into people's heads while instilling the same horrifying message and news reports. These messages and reports are what keep drawing the people in to read more and see more. It's hard to believe that what it being shown is actually real. Secondly, the other thing that is keeping readers' attention is the headlines. They are short, blunt, and straight to the point. When you think about it, they don't really leave anything out. "Tornados in Tennessee Leave Hundreds Dead." Short and sweet. I don't know about you, but that's definitely enough to grab my attention. These sorts of headlines are the kinds that make people want to read more. The headline of each newscast or article has to have one of those effective titles. Every single one that comes up on the news has one.
ReplyDeleteThe news is also very interesting to analyze when it comes to the people that they pick to be on the news. I have seen just about as many men reporting the news as women. They are all very well dressed and look clean. This obviously makes sense because people clearly don’t want to sit around all day and watch people who they feel like are incapable of giving the news. But that’s the thing: the way the news reporters are portrayed gives a sense of trust. As a listener and follower or these news channels, I trust the reporters’ information and findings because of the way that they are delivering it. They presence seems to give off feelings of accuracy and precision. These are things that every listener wants to have when they are watching the news during such a devastating time.
The audience for whom the media’s coverage was intended affected the coverage of the storms last week. A week after the storms, papers that have a diverse audience spread over a large geographic area have a smaller amount of storm coverage than small local papers. The Wall Street Journal has one article about the storms that is only visible under their “U.S.” section, the New York Times does not have any coverage of the storms under their United States section, and the Boston Globe’s article on the storms refers first to the records broken, then to the people. However, there are countless stories regarding the death of Osama bin Laden. The death of one person in a foreign country through a military operation has preempted coverage of the many deaths and mass destruction that took place as a result of the storms.
ReplyDeleteLocal newspapers have a different stand on the storms. In the Chattanoogan, our online-only local newspaper, “Breaking News” articles are mainly focused on the storm’s destruction and cities’ plans to rebuild. In addition to the front-section space given to storm coverage in the Times Free Press, every other section features the storms. The Business section talks about car dealerships’ inventory damaged by hail, while the Sports section talks about the support given to Ringgold High School athletics. Local papers have a larger amount of storm coverage given their small audience, while large publications have less because of their diverse readership.
With so much distraction and loss and so many angles to cover it from, our country's news system had a lot to write about in the past week since the storms have hit. And there is a trend that is common through a lot of it: in the beginning it was hopeful, people were helpful, and there was much love going around. But then it got worse. Yet there is still hope for it to be better.
ReplyDeleteIn the hours after the last storm system hit, there were reports of everyone doing what they could for the victims. According to the Associated Press, people are getting all of the help they need from food provided by businesses like Logan's to a place to charge their cell phones and basic supplies like toiletries and clothes.
And then the looting began and it was, and still is, devastating for people who had nearly everything taken from them.
Robbie Thomas, 24, wept as her friends helped look for items worth salvaging in her damaged home. She survived the tornado with her nephew and infant child, hiding under a bed. She pushed the debris off after the storm passed.
Looters ransacked the home the night before.
"They took everything I had," she said. "After all this and they took everything." (Associated Press)
Amidst the devastation, there is more devastation, but they say that a situation must get worse before it can become better. The people can only hope that it will get to that point--and it very slowly is. There have been several curfews enforced and that has slowed down the looting and people are slowly regaining necessary items that they lost in the storm or were taken from them in its aftermath. Help from churches in the area, the Red Cross, and FEMA is flooding in at a steady pace and the people will make it through.
In situations like this there are always highs and lows and, very often there are midpoints in between and the news manages to shed light on the surface of every part of that journey.
"Vignettes from the Devastation Across the South." Google News. The Associated Press. 30 April, 2011. May 3, 2011.
Suffering from lack of food, water, homes, and even loved ones, the victims of the tornados have been through a lot. Many organizations have stepped up to do their part including the Red Cross. But the community has really pulled together to make all the donations pull through. Just driving in Fort Oglethorpe last Sunday with a friend, we saw four places taking up donations. The community effort and participation has really overwhelmed me. Everyone is really doing their part to raise money and collect goods for the devastated. Even children are donating their most precious stuffed animals for other children to have. Just reading through the Pray for the Tornado Victims of April 27 I am feeling like I'm not doing enough. So my argument on this tornado business is that we are not doing enough. If after donating some goods to a church group there are still organizations asking for more donations of water and baby supplies, it is clear what we need to do.
ReplyDeleteWe need to get on top of their needs and help our neighbors out. I understand that we have made May Day into a tornado relief fundraiser, but what about the week in between? Could we not step up to the plate and help out? Why can we not form a group through GPS and bus down there to help out to distinguish ourselves from the looters. McCallie did a half day kind of thing for their older students and gave them the option of giving blood or helping out. Why can GPS, the school that prides themselves on community service, not join in? This is when we are needed most.
When simply researching the storm, I found that most of the reports focus mainly on the deaths in the areas affected by the tornadoes. I pulled up several articles with titles including excerpts like, "Hundreds dead" or "dozens dead" and I began to realize that the big news companies coverage focuses mainly on the death and destruction in the areas. I assume they focus mainly on the bad news because there is much more to report on when companies like ABC and Good Morning America are covering the storms. Although there is much more news also going on in the world, I found it discouraging that these news companies could only spare a few moments in which they focused solely on the destruction.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading a few articles I came across an article focused solely on the way people have come together after a disaster in Alabama. I read of various Facebook pages being created to help victims reunite with their missing items, churches serving food, sororities making food for victims, and many other organized help. What I found interesting about this article is that it also remembered to include help from the fire department, the news channels, the police officers, and the National Guard. It was nice to see that this article tried to remember and include everyone who was helping. This showed that not only people who were affected directly by the storm are willing to donate their time and energy also. This article's report was the most encouraging. I think storms and devastation bring out the sympathy and willingness to help in everyone. It was nice to read an article about what people were doing instead of the death tolls.
Although this article was more enjoyable to read, I realized after reading it that it is necessary to focus on the devastation so that these types of articles can be written and these types of responses can happen. The news shows picture after picture of the destruction and reports on statistics of the number dead and injured. They do this in order to show just how bad the damage actually is. If they didn't speak of the deaths and destruction, people would not understand the magnitude of the damage and then there wouldn't be encouraging responses from people trying to help. So, overall, the news reporting on the deaths and devastation is most effective in getting the word out about the storm because everyone watches and reads the news. It is important to show the real destruction, so that there will be responses like the groups in Alabama who are trying to help
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ReplyDeleteThe articles I read talked a lot about what kind of tornadoes hit, where they hit, and the number of people they killed. All of those are just numbers, letters, and graphs to me. When I read the articles, I felt like I was reading a history book or a novel. It seemed only imaginary to me. The victims of the tornadoes were all faceless names and statistics that meant nothing to me. The few pictures I saw were of fallen trees and broken poles in the middle of nowhere. I kept reading words like "devastation", "destruction", and "horrifying" that all have an image that go along with their definition in my mind but none of them brought to my mind what the TV or my friends brought.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I watched the news was, "I know those people. I have been on that street. I have eaten at that place." The TV brought all the same statistics that the articles brought but they showed the statistics and talked about the people.I have friends in Ringgold who are done with highschool because they no longer have a highschool to go to. The school lost all their final exams because they lost all the computers, papers, and backup they had. My friends have shown me videos and pictures of their houses and cars after the tornadoes and those images seem so much more real to me than the images in the articles. When they tell me that they still don't have clean water or power, I offer them my home. I tell them they are welcome to come to my house to use my power, internet, and shower.
I agree with Abby in that I want to go and help to clean up. This is because of what I saw on TV and what my friends told and showed me, not because of what I read. The articles are cold and expressionless but I can see the sadness and disbelief in the eyes of the newscasters and in my friends. Personal experience has made the blank "devestation", "destruction", and "horrifying" a reality to me.
The storm was the first natural disaster to hit home for many Chattanooga Residents, and I think that caught some people off guard a little bit. After hearing so much about Katrina and the different tsunamis, for something to happen here, to people we know and love, really made us think. This is shown in the news portrayal of the happenings. There’ s a harsh tone to most articles. Shocking headlines, photos, and phrases describe the aftermath the tornadoes left for the city to deal with. Like Caylee said, most articles are titled with numbers of dead found. These numbers and titles are to shock people out of their every day life. The Red Cross wants donations; this will increase those donations. When something tragic happens, the media always jumps to “number dead” rather than land damaged or schools destroyed. That’s natural, we are all humans, and to lose another human should hit home. But at what point could the media be contributing to our naivety. Ringgold lost their high school in the storm, and now can’t meet- they are sharing school days with another school close by. Shouldn’t we be alerted of this? Shouldn’t this make headlines? There are kids that aren’t able to attend school due to lack of a building. There’s nothing wrong with a death poll. IN fact, it is what interests the viewer most. It is the most important piece of news. And in that we must honor and respect those that lost their lives. Bur what if the main purpose the media wants us to feel bad is to give donations to the Red Cross? That doesn’t sound like a bad thing. But where directly is that money going? After 9/11 when so much fundraising was done for the red Cross, citizens didn’t find out later that their money wasn’t all going to 9/11. About half of it was being retained for future use, and some even was sent to Bolivia. Fundraising is great and a great way for a community to rise up against a disaster. But I can’t help be wary, especially after 1984 that a Big Brother society could always be in the making. Media controls what we see and basically where we donate our dollar. So we must ask ourselves, with the storm coverage what does the media want from us? And will we give it naively?
ReplyDeleteThe media reports at the nation level focused on the devastation of the tornados. The articles and reports were focused on the bad aspects and outcomes of the storms. Most articles were written about looting, death, and destruction. The national portrayal of the tornados is generalized of the whole south east destruction rather than specific areas. The coverage does have emotion, however, it contains much less emotion than the coverage by local news stations. The national coverage does not contain the same sympathy felt in the local coverage because they do not have the same connection with the areas as the local news stations do.
ReplyDeleteIn the local news, the first few days were focused on the destruction but soon after centered around the healing and help in the devastated areas. Pictures of people helping out and videos of people thanking God for protecting them were shown. The reports had more emotion than the national coverage and expressed sympathy for the families affected. Many reports ended with "our thoughts and prayers go out to the families." Specific areas and cities in the effected parts of the south were discussed in the reports. Ways that everyone can help out are still being listed in articles and on TV. The connection between the stations, newscasters and authors to the areas can be felt through the broadcast.
The day after the storms hit our area, the news was covered by statistics and pictures. Statistics like how many people died or were injured in each area of Chattanooga serve to remind people of the serious damage of the storms. The pictures serve the same purpose. The news also covered a lot of power issues around the city. By saying that “[September 28th is] the worst day for power outages in the 72-year history of EPB,” EPB is alluding to that fact that it will take a while to get electricity to everyone in the city again. It is a warning to the citizens of Chattanooga that they will have to live with more power for a while.
ReplyDeleteA few days after the Wednesday storms, the news shifted towards relief efforts. Headlines ranged from “Nashville volunteers pitch in to help Chattanooga storm victims” to “Bradley legislators ask for moment of prayer.” The tone of many of these articles was very urgent. Most articles talked about what the storm victims need and how you can help ASAP.
The one thing I noticed most was the amount of suffering that was shown and how people were called to help their neighbors. There were many facts thrown in the articles about how we are now in Tornado Alley and about the mph of the tornadoes but I also heard about the suffering of the people and the call for us to help each other.
ReplyDeleteI read two articles, watched some media coverage of the storm on YouTube, and I also was listening to the actual radio throughout the storm. During the actual radio during the storm the man was giving updates during the entire storm. He told us how close the storms were to us at any given point in time. He would say where the storm was, how bad it was, and where it was going next. I hate country music but US 101 saved lives during the storm.
The storm coverage, both on the news and in articles, showed the damage in Ringgold and everywhere that was hit. It was very informative, but it also told of the damage. During one YouTube video the news anchor began to cry from people that they knew that had been hurt during the storm. A lot of it was a call to arms for us surrounding people to come and help or donate blood or help the Red Cross. There was a lot of pathos used, of course, to try and show the suffering and to get us to lend a hand to those in need.