Blaming victims and survivors: An analysis of post-katrina print news coverage

Abstract

In few circumstances are news media more powerful than during crisis events. The purpose of this research was to document the discursive construction of individuals who experienced hurricane Katrina in post-Katrina print news coverage. Informed by a social constructionist perspective, this critical discourse analysis highlights the power of news media to shape cultural understanding of the citizens involved and, consequently, the crisis event itself. The study found that post-Katrina news depictions relied on specific rhetorical devices and semantic strategies, as well as seemingly value-free terminology (e.g., victim and survivor) to publicly discuss certain citizens involved in the event. However, such discursive construction had the rhetorical result of shifting blame onto those “victims” and “survivors.” Ultimately, the understandings perpetuated by post-Katrina media coverage about “victims” and “survivors” likely impacted the responses enacted by response agencies in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. © 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All right reserved.