topic Re: press coverage/hurricane in Community Chat

press coverage/hurricane

ms traditional — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:30:55 GMT

it seems to me that the press dropped the magnitude of its coverage of Matthew dramatically after Florida, hardly covering the misery of Georgia, So Carolina and No Carolina where 10 people died alone. it reminds me of how poorly they covered the problems in Louisiana after their dramatic rainstorms.

Re: press coverage/hurricane

Krimpette — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:32:18 GMT

It sickens me that the coverage of this disaster (and it's not over yet, at least not in NC) has dwindled to almost nothing.

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Laura14 — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:33:35 GMT

My thoughts exactly. Add Iowa's recent flooding too and we have the whole hang your hand in shame for weather events not covered.

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chrystaltree — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:36:17 GMT

It was bad one but not the worst we've ever seen and while sadly there were a few deaths. It pales in comparison to what happened and is still happening in Haiti. That's what the media should be focusing on.

Re: press coverage/hurricane

ms traditional — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:39:22 GMT

to date there have been 19 deaths from Matthew. i think that is major, frankly.

Re: press coverage/hurricane

maestra — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:39:28 GMT

@chrystaltree wrote:
It was bad one but not the worst we've ever seen and while sadly there were a few deaths. It pales in comparison to what happened and is still happening in Haiti. That's what the media should be focusing on.

Actually, in the Carolinas Matthew set new records for destruction. It's not over, the rivers are set to crest and flood tonight into tomorrow.

We feel like the glass is half full, but have others around us who weren't as fortunate.

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SilleeMee — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:49:52 GMT

Yes, I agree that there should be more coverage about this storm. To me it seems the media has focused on other "important matters" at the time being.

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Gram W — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:55:40 GMT

I have been bouncing around this AM listening to "others" tell what I heard and saw last night. I can say that I have seen many pictures about what is still going on with Matthew and telling people the flooding is still not over. Reports on damage in each state and now 20 deaths. NC is getting heavy flood damage with more to come. At 11 I came to the Doctors but will watch news at noon during lunch. They are still giving updates on Haiti, the extreme health problems and aid needed. I have family in NC and Virginia so I am watching and listening extremely carefully. They are doing OK now but the raising water is a big worry for those in NC.

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FastDogWalker2 — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 16:02:21 GMT

Things in SE VA are not good either - power out and many roads still impassable.

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shoptilyadropagain — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 16:17:07 GMT

I had a fairly busy weekend but I normally had The Weather Channel on and they were always focused on South & North Carolina when I watched

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SaRina — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 16:32:45 GMT

This has been and still is in the top 2 news stories (along with that other thing) and reporters made a point today of saying the danger is not over yet.

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Spurt — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 16:59:06 GMT

It seems that newscasters are all about "the kodak moment" .....even put reporters on the ground when a storm is coming..........they get their ratings and then it becomes a non-story even though many of us that have friends/relatives living in the impacted areas want to know what's going on (and can't get in touch with them because of power outages and such)....Even Sunday I checked a website for latest and was met with "this is how Matthew was such a unique storm" Yet nothing on current devastation in GA, SC, NC, and VA......Just another example of how poor jouranlism/reporting is these days!

Re: press coverage/hurricane

ms traditional — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:13:04 GMT

@SaRina wrote:
??
This has been and still is in the top 2 news stories (along with that other thing) and reporters made a point today of saying the danger is not over yet.

not sure if you are talking local or national. but in any case it was wall to wall last Thursday and Friday, and became a one minute story when the danger was high for Ga, SC and NC on Sat Sun, etc. the depth of coverage dropped off considerably from what i saw when Matthew didn't destroy Fla., and yet the threat was major for 3 states noted.

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151949 — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:22:15 GMT

Our friends who live on Hilton Head Island in SC evacuated but their neighbors were able to text them as soon as the storm passed to tell them that everything was fine - roofs were intact and no flooding so they were all ready to return home until they heard some roads were closed due to bridge inspections today. Instead of dealing with detours they are waiting one more day.Their electric is still off though.

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Burnsite — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:46:21 GMT

I so agree. The hurricane moved more slowly than predicted, so it got further north before it struck with its full strength. [ETA: I don't mean the wind speed but, due to storm surge, the worst dangers Matthew represented.) The TV media are much to be blamed. And the 24-hour news cycle. And if the body count isn't high, it didn't have much effect. I have had my roof destroyed in H. Wilma 11 years ago, was without power for several months, and there was hardly a word about it even on local media. It is downright weird.

So I listen to NPR. But I can't even find out if Matthew is due to return to the Bahamas and perhaps strike again. And (since I do this stuff myself, living by myself) I am NOT going to take down the darn shutters until I know.

My real oracle are the advisories from the Hurricane center, but since M. is not a hurricane at the moment, they aren't saying anthing, though the path goes back thru the northern Bahamas. So at some point in the next week, it would become a tropical system again. Local news, which was twisting itself into knots with the pre-storm hysteria, has nothing to say now.

When people are doing the really hard work of finding responsible contractors after storm damage, that is not newsworthy. I had to call a FL senator's office (Bill Nelson) back in 2005 about the contractor rip-offs, and I got an intern who was insulting. I called again and got a reasonable intern.

Anyway, I agree that North Carolina, which after all was the hardest hit, got the least coverage. It doesn't even make any sense. The news people in the storm slickers don't "make" the news, the human stories do. That's always where the real story always is, and the media miss it always. It's as if celebrities are the only humans that are newsworthy, not people in their real lives encountering flooding, loss of their homes, looting, no services when they are taxpayers, etc.

I hope your communities do get the help they deserve, Ms Traditional. The 24 hour news cycle meant that "Matthew" had lasted past the sell date, even though there were 10 people killed by this hurricane in NC.

Re: press coverage/hurricane

ms traditional — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 18:05:19 GMT

@Burnsite leave those shutters up!!! i hope you won't need them. i am in California, but agonized for my nephew in Boca Raton, friends in Charleston and coastal NC. i do remember how quickly the press left the earthquake story here in 1994 when we were dealing with devastation, no power and no potable water. it would have been nice to know that the rest of the nation was mildly interested as we lived through aftershocks, dependent on battery-operated radios for contact with the outside world. sadly i see the death count for Matthew just went up again.

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RedTop — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 18:12:48 GMT

I watched many hours of hurricane coverage on The Weather Channel this weekend. I was surprised by the heavy traffic on I-95 yesterday afternoon, of people trying to get home so soon after the storm. I heard nothing from city, county, or state officials saying it was clear for anyone to return yet. The announcement of county offices and schools being closed, should have been enough to let people know the road situations, no power, etc., made conditions unfavorable to come back just yet. The WC employees were interviewing people in their cars, who had been in the slow moving traffic for 3+ hours. They were being detoured off Exit 19 at Lumberton, NC, thru the narrow streets of town to connect to Highway 17. That area had no power, so there were no gas stations open.

I was very shocked that people who were asked to evacuate, did not go farther west into NC to find a place to stay, but stayed in motels close to I-95 where they still encountered many storm related problems. The Quality Inn motel rooms on ground level flooded, and those people had to be rescued. Those people found themselves in the same type of situation, than if they had stayed home. Many had their vehicles flooded and washed away, and were still stranded, waiting to be taken to a shelter.

I was also shocked to hear a 911 call where a daughter was trying to get her parents rescued from their home. The parents had refused to leave, even tho the man is in a wheelchair. As soon as ocean water reached their yard, the woman realized they were in trouble, and called her daughter. I felt really bad for the daughter trying to get her parents rescued, and for the parents who were scared and helpless, but wonder why people can't figure out their risk in advance.

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Financialgrl — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 18:22:47 GMT

@FastDogWalker2 wrote:
Things in SE VA are not good either - power out and many roads still impassable.

Was just gonna say - I have cousins in Virginia Beach and they don't have power and many of the roads were still flooded as of last night.

Re: press coverage/hurricane

SaRina — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 19:20:39 GMT

@ms traditional wrote:
@SaRina wrote:
??
This has been and still is in the top 2 news stories (along with that other thing) and reporters made a point today of saying the danger is not over yet.
not sure if you are talking local or national. but in any case it was wall to wall last Thursday and Friday, and became a one minute story when the danger was high for Ga, SC and NC on Sat Sun, etc. the depth of coverage dropped off considerably from what i saw when Matthew didn't destroy Fla., and yet the threat was major for 3 states noted.

NY Tri-state

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software — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 19:23:08 GMT

I don't understand your point, if you want local coverage, livestream the local TV coverage on your computer.

Or go to the websites of locat TV coverage in the area you are searching.

So sad to know how many people died in NC despite all the warnings. Tragic.

@ms traditional wrote:
it seems to me that the press dropped the magnitude of its coverage of Matthew dramatically after Florida, hardly covering the misery of Georgia, So Carolina and No Carolina where 10 people died alone. it reminds me of how poorly they covered the problems in Louisiana after their dramatic rainstorms.