A topic for discussion...
We all know of the horrible tragedy that has occured in Louisiana and Mississippi, and by now you've probably have donated to http://www.redcross.org or http://www.unitedway.org or plan to donate tonight with one of the several telethons that will air to help benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In hindsight, its absolutly amazing how many lives have been reported lost because of the storm and how many more will be added to the total in the days and weeks ahead. Whenever I see the coverage on TV, one thought keeps popping into my mind, and I'd like to hear any opinions that you may have on this:
For the past couple of years, news coverage of hurricanes has gone from actual journalism to entertainment (with the head of CNN news even quoted in one of their news reports as saying ssomething to the effect of "We cover hurricane season as an entertainment piece, for we know what high ratings they always produce for us.") The incredible over-saturation of the news coverage of these storms, along with reporters feeling as if it is neccesary to stand in the middle of the storm (saying that they do it to show the strength of the show when really it's the equivalent of flexing your arms at the gym when the opposite sex walks by) has probably made people numb to what damage a hurricane can actually do. With people starting to taking to take hurricanes less seriously, they stayed at their homes instead of going where it was safe. When the Hurricane did turn out to be as horrendous as a Category Five Hurricane is, tragedy followed.
By no means do I want to blame the death of hundreds (if not thousands) on the network and cable news, but should they hold a little responsibility into what they are covering? After what has happened this past week, should the standards on how hurricanes or natural disasters are covered be changed so that it is more journalism and less entertainment? Am I completely wrong on my opinions/thoughts? If you have anything to share or want to express your opinion on this, I'd love to know.
For the past couple of years, news coverage of hurricanes has gone from actual journalism to entertainment (with the head of CNN news even quoted in one of their news reports as saying ssomething to the effect of "We cover hurricane season as an entertainment piece, for we know what high ratings they always produce for us.") The incredible over-saturation of the news coverage of these storms, along with reporters feeling as if it is neccesary to stand in the middle of the storm (saying that they do it to show the strength of the show when really it's the equivalent of flexing your arms at the gym when the opposite sex walks by) has probably made people numb to what damage a hurricane can actually do. With people starting to taking to take hurricanes less seriously, they stayed at their homes instead of going where it was safe. When the Hurricane did turn out to be as horrendous as a Category Five Hurricane is, tragedy followed.
By no means do I want to blame the death of hundreds (if not thousands) on the network and cable news, but should they hold a little responsibility into what they are covering? After what has happened this past week, should the standards on how hurricanes or natural disasters are covered be changed so that it is more journalism and less entertainment? Am I completely wrong on my opinions/thoughts? If you have anything to share or want to express your opinion on this, I'd love to know.