Sunday 28 August 2011

The Hurricane Irene News Coverage Cycle: CNN vs Fox News


On CNN:
Field reporter stands in a windy swirl of debris and rain and reports that conditions are too dangerous for people to be in.
Network weather person reports on current state of the storm: its wind speed, track, etc. and repeatedly insists it’s a coming apocalypse, even though the storm is weakening.
Sound bites from the National Hurricane Center followed by video footage from their hurricane hunter airplane.
Government official pleads with his/her constituency to follow evacuation orders in a timely and calm manner followed by interview with some idiot who chooses to “ride it out.”
REPEAT...

On Fox News:
Field reporter stands in a windy swirl of debris and rain and reports that conditions are too dangerous for people to be in followed by Mike Huckabee PAC attack ad calling for the repeal of “Obamacare.”
Network weather person reports on current state of the storm: its wind speed, track, etc. and repeatedly insists it’s a coming apocalypse, even though the storm is weakening.
Fox news reporter interviews representative from the Property Casualty Insurers group who assures us the insurance companies have an “army” of claims adjusters at hand, ready to help their customers get their lives back together.
Sound bites from the National Hurricane Center and video footage from their hurricane hunter airplane followed up by Fox News reporter expressing concern that this government function will likely have to fall victim to necessary government budget cuts.
Fox News babe in NYC reports there are still New Yorkers in the city citing the large group of New Yorkers standing behind her camera who she says have no rain gear. She has the camera turn around and there are seven people standing there, five of them have umbrellas.
Government official pleads with his/her constituency to follow evacuation orders in a timely and calm manner followed by interview with some idiot who chooses to “ride it out.” At the same time, the news ticker reads, “Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nv) says a business leader (unnamed) told him Obama’s economic policies are a wet blanket on our economy.”
REPEAT...

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