Article Comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Article Comparison - Essay Example Much data has indeed been disseminated on Hurricane Katrina and the challenges which health officials faced in spreading and the media in retrieving accurate and timely public health data during emergencies (Cohen, et.al., 2008). Evaluating how the media publicizes tragedies is an important aspect in communication research. Even as some media scholars have considered separate news coverage for public health issues, there is still an inadequate evaluation on the news coverage of public health issues during tragedies. Hence, this study is being carried out in order evaluate the content of national newspapers in relation to the Hurricane Katrina news coverage (Cohen, et.al., 2008). By evaluating such data, it may then be possible to close the gap between theoretical models of agenda setting and the wealth of public health data which need to be conveyed for the sake of public health service (Cohen, et.al., 2008). ... A statistical evaluation was then applied on the stories included in the sample with the application of cross tabulations and Pearson’s chi-square (Cohen, et.al., 2008). The study then revealed that 8.5% of the articles were related to efforts by first responders to the hurricane. About 6.4% of the articles focused on who or what was to blame for the disaster; 4.6% discussed practical concerns including access to health services; 2.1% covered animal rescue; 3.0% discussed reasons why the people stayed in New Orleans; 2.1% discussed racism; 2.1% covered disease; and finally, 2.1% of the news articles discussed population conflict (Cohen, et.al., 2008). The objectives of this study were met because the paper was able to cover the type of news discussed by the media in the aftermath of the Katrina hurricane. The results also revealed the ways by which the hurricane impacted the people in terms of health services and access to said services. It also revealed the fact that a small and diminishing number of newspaper articles included those which released public health data over time. Moreover, news articles on the hurricane impact on communities as well as reliable health information also diminished over time (Cohen, et.al., 2008). This study sets forth the importance of addressing public health impact of tragedies and the ways by which the media seems to underreport and reduce public health issues. The authors pointed out that this study is relevant because of the hurricanes which occur year after year and which significantly impact on our lives (Cohen, et.al., 2008). It is therefore important for practitioners to record the lessons learned from previous disasters and apply these lessons