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date: 12 February 2025

Old Media, New Media, and the Complex Story of Disasterslocked

Old Media, New Media, and the Complex Story of Disasterslocked

  • Josh GreenbergJosh GreenbergSchool of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University
  • , and T. Joseph ScanlonT. Joseph ScanlonSchool of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

Summary

Media have always played an important role in times of emergency and disaster. Undersea cables, international news agencies, the press, radio and television, and, most recently, digital and mobile technologies—all have played myriad and complex roles in supporting emergency response and notification, and in helping constitute a shared experience that can be important to social mobilization and community formation. The geographical location of disasters and the identities of victims, the increasingly visual nature of disaster events, and the ubiquitous nature of media in our lives, all shape and influence which kinds of emergencies attract global media and public attention, and how we come to understand them.

Globalization has compressed time and space such that a whole range of disasters—from natural events (cyclones, earthquakes, and hurricanes) to industrial accidents and terrorist attacks—appear on our television and mobile screens with almost daily frequency. There is nothing inherent about these events that give them meaning—they occur in a real, material world; but for many of us, our experience of these events is shaped and determined in large part by our interactions with media industries, institutions, and technologies. Understanding the media’s construction of these events as disasters provides important insight into the nature of disaster mitigation, response and recovery.

Subjects

  • Case Studies
  • Risk Communication and Warnings
  • Response

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