Media Storm

A look at the U.S. media

coverage of
Hurricane Katrina

Joshua Admir, Sasha Resende,

Annie Rossetti, Darryn Fitzgerald
Reporting during Hurricane
Katrina
Thursday August 25- Wednesday
August 31
 Effective

National Public Radio: Hurricane

Katrina Makes Landfall on Louisiana
Coast
Interview with Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)
● listen here
Breaking coverage
Information is relevant to a wide
spectrum of listeners
Provides a first-hand look into the crisis
 Effective
CNN Evening News: Saturday, Aug 27,
2005
View Hurricane Katrina/Gulf Coast/
Blanco Interview (9:01:20 pm-
09:13:40 pm)

Stresses immediacy of evacuation New

Orleans and surrounding areas
Structure of video moves from current
weather situation to current state of
 Ineffective

NBC Nightly News: Saturday, Aug 27,

2005
Hurricane Katrina/ Gulf Coast, Florida
(5:30:50 pm- 5:38:00 pm)

Taped and edited

Focus on cleanup in Florida, directing
attention away from New Orleans and
evacuation efforts
 Very Ineffective

USA Today:
On the day after, sobering lessons from Ka
Aug 30, 2005
“As the full impact of Hurricane Katrina
began to sink in Tuesday — New
Orleans flooding, scenes of
devastation along the Gulf Coast, a
death toll of dozens and rising —
perhaps the broadest lesson was the
reminder that in the contest of nature
Sensationalized
Sweeping statements
Ominous tone
No statistics, no quotes
No mention of rescue efforts nor
accountability
Vague
Poses more questions than answers
Reporting after immediate
crisis
Thursday Sept 1st and beyond

Anderson Cooper interviews Mary Landrieu

NBC Evening News Sept 1, 2005
Sensationalized coverage
Criminalizes victims
Focus on violence, looting, car theft
Physical fight
Void of sympathy/empathy
Ineffective news headline: “total
chaos”
“us” vs. “them”
Dehumanizes and blames the victims
The New York Times: Thursday,
September 1, 2005:
“News Analysis: Hard New Test for Preside
By David E. Sanger
Introduces the critical governmental
frame which would dominate future
coverage of the Katrina disaster.
Ties the delayed response by the
National Guard to the Iraq War.
● National Guard is overstretched and cannot
provide assistance to affected regions.
Includes the infamous photograph of
Relevant Reporting Prior To
Crisis
July 10, 2005: U.S. News and World
Report "Big Blow in the Big Easy”
(By Dan Gilgoff )
Informs readers of the colossal risk
New Orleans faced in the weeks
leading up to hurricane Katrina.
Mentions that the levees were unable
to handle a category 4 or 5 hurricane.
Predicts extensive damage in the
event of a major hurricane in New
Orleans
Discusses the mentality of New
Orleans residents :
"Natives feel we withstood [hurricane]
Betsy, so we could withstand anything"
Approximately half of New Orleans
residents sampled in a LSU survey
stated they felt unsafe if a hurricane 3
or higher storm hit.
August 26, 2004: The New York Times.
“With Hurricane Charley, a Federal Agency
”
(By Matthew L. Ward)
• Outlines FEMA’s role in administering
aid after Hurricane Charley, a
Category 4 storm that hit Florida one
year before Hurricane Katrina.
FEMA had previously been criticized
for its slow and ineffective response in
doling out aid after the Sept. 11
attacks.