Media Coverage of Katrina in 2005
2 Years Since Storm Devastated New Orleans & Media Swooped In
Hurricane Katrina's impact on the United States is evident 2 years later, but negative portrayal of African-Americans in the Superdome during this time still unexamined
Hurricane Katrina will be remembered as being one of the worst natural catastrophe’s the United States has ever witnessed. The fact that the people of New Orleans were let down so badly by those around them is scary to ponder even today. Responsibility for this disaster has been proven to be at the municipal, state, and federal levels; serious mistakes were made by Mayor Ray Nagin, Governor Kathleen Blanco, and certainly by FEMA director Michael Brown that increased the damage and severity of the hurricane.
Coverage by Media of Katrina
Media coverage of Katrina grew as the situation in New Orleans and surrounding areas worsened. Certain television personalities such as Anderson Cooper became stars through their reporting on this tragedy. The media played an important part in getting much of the country to pay attention to what was happening to the lower socio-economic residents of New Orleans. In fact, President Bush did not tour much of the damage and instead was said to rely on media reports of what was going on to keep himself posted.
The role of the media in this tragedy though, is actually much more complicated than it might appear at first glance. This is particularly apparent when we look at the situation at the Superdome. The Superdome, home to the New Orleans Saints NFL team, was used during Hurricane Katrina as a shelter by 15,000 – 20,000 locals. In particular, it was those who did not have any other place to go that used this non-ideal set-up as their base during the days following Katrina. African-Americans living in poverty before Katrina hit were the first to have no where to go when their areas of town were decimated, and became the first residents of the Superdome.
Superdome Myths
Media reports on what was going on at the Superdome were ambiguous from the beginning. While stories about survivors did appear, the Superdome stories told by the media seemed to often be about the horrors that were occurring there. In particular, it was portrayed as a place where nightmares came true: women were raped while others stood by, pickpockets targeted the distressed and heartbroken, children were starved and abused, and seniors were ignored and taunted. In short, media reports on the Superdome turned it into a real-life Lord of the Flies.
Reality Emerges
Upon closer examination, however, it became apparent that many of the things that media reports were claiming had not really happened. The fact that so many of the people living at the Superdome during this crisis were African-American seems to be especially relevant in understanding the lens the media used to color this crisis. Black Americans were considered more likely to behave in devious manners and so the media found their exaggerated stories being believed and accepted by the white population.
The racist nature of this whole debacle illustrates how far the United States is from being a place where equality for all citizens is guaranteed. In fact, mainstream media false reports on what was going on at the Superdome further serve to reinforce incorrect racial stereotypes in the general public. While government officials of all levels and political stripes certainly made mistakes in the lead-up to and during of Katrina, the mainstream media must also be held accountable. The tragedy of the hurricane must be remembered, and the nature of media coverage should also not go unchallenged.
