Natural Disasters and the Media

Are natural disasters happening more frequently or is the emphasis on their coverage that makes it seem this way? I think this is a very good question that I honestly do not know the answer to. The way the media covers natural disasters is amazing. When something so visually devastating happens to an area the media are all over it. They show images of the floods, fires, ruined homes and sometimes even dead bodies to such an extent that most viewers are horrified. However, when the flood waters disperse and the flames diminish, so too does the media. This hit and run style of reporting the chaos but not following up is a huge problem in the media today, and something I find personally upsetting.

Another aspect of natural disaster media coverage that I find fascinating is citizen journalism. With today's technology everyone can be a journalist. Everyone can blog, twitter, YouTube. It's remarkable how much media we are exposed to that isn't created by "professionals." Why, even the term media is changing with the access to create and share almost anything these days. I think it is really cool how people can use the technology to cover and update the world about natural disasters, especially from those people who are experiencing it.