Search

This article examines how three Chinese and two British newspapers sourced content from social media in their coverage of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, the 2013 Ya'an Earthquake, and the 2015 Tianjin Explosion. The media outlets citing of social media content present different patterns in line with their political and commercial interests, ideologies, and journalistic values. Diverse images of the three disasters as revealed on social media (social media reality) were constructed in the newspapers' coverage. Journalists gate-keep information from social media and dissolve it into daily disaster reporting, accepting selected aspects of social media reality but rejecting others. Especially in the case of the Chinese newspapers, meeting the needs of domestic political and commercial interest groups, journalists endorse social media content that is favorable to these groups. In so doing, social media technologies are used and tailored to meet the needs of journalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a disaster strikes, various organizations, including any affected enterprises and news agencies that cover the event, need to respond quickly. The key to an effective response is a consistent supply of authoritative information at the appropriate time. Using data from 159 disasters that occurred in China between 2003 and 2011, this study investigates the determinants of disaster news coverage. It is found that by considering the characteristics of the disaster, economic and technical factors, and the initial level of coverage, disaster managers can predict newsworthiness, the points of maximum demand for information, and the most stressful time in terms of media attention. All these factors can help those charged with disseminating information on disasters and relief efforts to communicate in a manner that best addresses the needs of the public and the organization they serve. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining individuals’ TV and Internet involvement following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, this study demonstrates that involvement with disaster media renders positive and negative effects on viewers. Although TV involvement increases perceived stress, TV and Internet involvement predict perceived gains of social-relational resources (e.g., companionship and intimacy with friends and family) and social trust. Media involvement, in general, is also positively related to individuals’ willingness to help people in the affected areas, though this link was mediated by individuals’ perceived social-relational resource gain and social trust. This suggests that individuals’ willingness to help disaster victims is partly shaped by their relatively proximal and personal responses to the disaster coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]