The national media’s failure to cover the destruction from the derecho in Iowa is identical, nearly to the day, of their failure to cover the Louisiana flooding four years ago.
A short thread.
A short thread.
August 10, 2020: Derecho across the Midwest with the most severe impacts occurring across 26 counties in Iowa en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_20…
August 12, 2016: An unnamed rainstorm floods across 21 parishes en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Loui…
August 12, 2016: An unnamed rainstorm floods across 21 parishes en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Loui…
In both cases the damage was extensive and immediately obvious. They were events that would, by any reasonable assumption, garner the widespread attention of the national media.
Yet, there was near silence.
Yet, there was near silence.
Here are some of the articles on Louisiana:
nola.com/news/weather/a…
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
nola.com/news/weather/a…
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
They read nearly identical (not in a plagiarized way, in a ‘we had the same experience’ kind of way).
In both cases, it took days of pressure from locals on Twitter for some national outlets to cover the storms.
In both cases, it took days of pressure from locals on Twitter for some national outlets to cover the storms.
By the time national media did start writing about the disasters the articles primarily focused on how there had been no coverage – rather than the actual need of survivors.
Besides the obvious appropriateness of national media covering major disasters, there is a NEED for that news coverage.
Mainly – it means more help.
Read more here: disaster-ology.com/home/2016/8/16…
Mainly – it means more help.
Read more here: disaster-ology.com/home/2016/8/16…
In the wake of 2016, the Louisiana recovery struggled. At the time I talked through some of the challenges here:
disaster-ology.com/home/2016/8/16…
disaster-ology.com/home/2016/8/16…
Due to the pandemic and an inexplicable delay in request for federal assistance from the governor, the response and beginning of the recovery in Iowa has started off to an even more complicated start.
More here:
More here:
In both 2016 and now there was speculation about why the national media failed so spectacularly. I think there are multiple reasons but an obvious commonality is that both disasters occurred in the months before a highly contentious presidential election.
In 2016 there was significant back and forth among the timing and appropriateness of visits from President Obama and then candidates Trump & Clinton.
More here: disaster-ology.com/home/2016/8/22…
More here: disaster-ology.com/home/2016/8/22…
This morning the president said he might "surprise" Iowa with a visit today.
Last I checked he had not gone (which is for the best for reasons I explain here: disaster-ology.com/home/2012/09/h…)
Last I checked he had not gone (which is for the best for reasons I explain here: disaster-ology.com/home/2012/09/h…)
If there wasn't a pandemic I have no doubt that Biden & Trump would both be on their way to Iowa to meet with survivors, do a photo op, & hand out supplies (hopefully something more useful than play-doh and in a more appropriate way than throwing paper towels but...)
After the Louisiana floods I wrote that we were not ready for future disasters.
“The systems we have in place to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from these events do not have the ability to deal with so many disasters at once.”
vox.com/2016/8/18/1252…
“The systems we have in place to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from these events do not have the ability to deal with so many disasters at once.”
vox.com/2016/8/18/1252…
I understand the barriers journalists face to covering disasters but there are consequences when you don't.
Disasters are going to keep happening when there are other stories to cover.
We need you to do both.
Disasters are going to keep happening when there are other stories to cover.
We need you to do both.
Also, it’s not great that our approach to communities getting anything approaching adequate disaster aid is so dependent on media coverage. Yet another reason we need nation emergency management reform!
