Washington, DC- To mark the official start of hurricane season, and in the wake of major natural disasters in Asia and the U.S., Business Roundtable convened journalists from the nation’s leading news organizations to discuss the radical shift in how the media reports on disasters today, and how the media’s role has evolved since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Participants included Jeanne Meserve, CNN; Kelley Holland, contributor to The New York Times; Brad Heath, USA Today; Amanda Ripley, Time Magazine; and Kelly Flynn, CNN-Impact Your World. Johanna Schneider, executive director of external relations for Business Roundtable, served as the moderator.

The discussion highlighted how new technologies, particularly the Internet, have strengthened reporting as well as changed the dynamic of the media’s responsibility in disseminating information about impacted areas’ needs, directing audiences to charities to donate cash and volunteer services.

“Many of our companies work closely with the media during disasters to get information on critical needs and communicate their company’s contributions,” said Johanna Schneider. “With the evolution of the 24/7 news cycle, the media are now able to report from the frontlines of disasters, providing the latest information with better accuracy and detail. This panel gave us an open forum to discuss what role the media now play when a disaster strikes, how that has changed over time, and what role they should play in future disasters.”

Highlights from the discussion included:

• Technology (iReports, mobile devices, small cameras, satellite phones, message boards, on-line maps, etc.) coupled with citizen journalism have transformed the way the media gather and communicate information to the public about disasters. These tools have allowed the media to have better and quicker access to information, even in remote locations where they may lack a physical presence.
• Businesses, first responders and the government need to have strong relationships in place with the media before a disaster occurs to allow for more effective and efficient communication of timely and accurate information. 
• Preparedness is a critical component of disaster response, but it is challenging for the media to cover in a compelling way, so there is a need to re-frame the discussion of preparedness.
• Creating a “culture of preparedness” requires both a top-down and bottom-up approach so companies and citizens can better understand their risk and prepare for an emergency:
  • Top-down: The issue needs to be re-framed and communicated from business and government to persuade employees and citizens to be more prepared before a disaster strikes.
  • Bottom-up: Citizens must make it a priority to develop personal and family preparedness plans.
• Constant coverage of disasters warps the public’s risk perception as emotion overpowers data. The media are contributing to the problem of people worrying disproportionately about events that are unlikely to happen and neglecting events that are more likely to occur.
• The role of the media is to question authority and that shifts when there is a disaster and government is relied upon as the most reliable source of information.
• The media has changed its “old school” approach from simply reporting a story and giving the public facts and figures about disasters to enabling audiences to take action by giving them more information, such as how to contribute to relief efforts. As an example, CNN has established Impact Your World to provide its viewers with a place to share stories and information about relief agencies and how to donate to them.
• The media can do a better job by getting data and background information in advance so that their reporting is grounded in facts and history. For example, panelists cited that many disasters include reports of looting which usually turn out to be woefully exaggerated.

For more information and to view photos from the event, visit www.respondtodisaster.org.