Place in Disaster Coverage: Newspaper Coverage of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Natural hazard news coverage research has examined frames, sources, and journalistic roles. An examination of place in such coverage is missing. Using the hierarchy of influences model, this study analyzes the coverage of place during Hurricane Maria in three major newspapers in Puerto Rico in the pre-crisis and crisis stages of the event. The study examined the roles of routines, organizational factors, and social systems factors in the coverage of Puerto Rican municipalities and the topics covered. Results show a primary focus on highly populated areas, reliance on governmental sources, and differences across the three newspapers studied. Implications for disaster coverage as well as theoretical arguments about the hierarchy of influences are discussed.