The Minimization of Public Health Risks in Newspapers after Hurricane Katrina |
| |
Authors: | Elisia L Cohen Santosh Vijaykumar Ricardo Wray Ajlina Karamehic-Muratovic |
| |
Institution: | 1. Department of Communication , University of Kentucky , Lexington, KYElisia.Cohen@uky.edu;4. dr.elisiacohen@gmail.com;5. Saint Louis University School of Public Health , Saint Louis, MO;6. Missouri Institute of Mental Health, University of Missouri , St. Louis, MO |
| |
Abstract: | During natural disasters, mass media facilitate the timely provision of accurate information about health risks to the public. This study informs our understanding of such public health discourse, utilizing a content-analysis of 235 newspaper articles in four major metropolitan newspapers published in the five weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005. These data reveal that a small and diminishing number of articles included public health information over time, detailed the hurricane impact on affected communities, and used reliable health sources. The implications for future research from a public health and media relations perspective are discussed. |
| |
Keywords: | Content Analysis Hurricane Katrina Newspapers Risk Communication |
|
|