Katrina Coverage Differs Locally, Regionally, Nationally

When reporting on Katrina, the closer a newspaper was to the disaster site, the more coverage of the hurricane and aftermath dominated the front-page. Local and regional newspapers covered similar topics and frames, while national newspapers addressed broader concerns, according to a study in Newspaper Research Journal.

The study by Roxanne K. Dill and H. Dennis Wu examined front-page newspaper content of six newspapers during the two weeks following the hurricane.

On the local and regional level, the most common topic covered was death and injury, followed by rescue/relief/evacuee distress and property damage—topics most important to local citizens. Nationally, the focus was primarily evacuee distress and secondarily criminal activity.

Dill and Wu also analyzed the relationship between the stories and what reporters experienced on-site. Interviews with news staff showed they felt the coverage of Katrina was overall more arduous than any previous assignment due to lack of reliable information, communication issues and the challenge of meeting the needs of a displaced, scattered audience.

Further study is suggested, including an exploration of broadcast and Internet news sources, as well as analysis further than just the front-page of newspapers.

Dill is an instructor in the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, and Wu is an associate professor in the College of Communication at Boston University. Their study is published in the winter 2009 issue of Newspaper Research Journal (Volume 30, Number 1).

Contacts: Sandra H. Utt Cell: (901) 628-2553 e-mail: nrj@newspaperresearchjournal.org or Elinor Kelley Grusin e-mail: egrusin@memphis.edu

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