Most Say Disaster Spending Does Not Require Offsetting Cuts
As Oklahoma recovers from last week’s tornado, a majority of Americans (59%) say federal spending in response to natural disasters is emergency aid that does not need to be offset by cuts to other programs, while 29% say it does.
Hurricane Sandy and Twitter
How did people use Twitter during Hurricane Sandy? For millions who lost power but could still access the internet on mobile devices, Twitter served as a critical lifeline throughout the disaster that struck the East Coast on Oct. 29.
Japanese Wary of Nuclear Energy
While Japanese prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has been trying to persuade local communities it is safe to restart two nuclear reactors, 70% of Japanese say their country should reduce its reliance on nuclear energy.
Japanese Resilient, but See Economic Challenges Ahead
A majority in Japan believe their country will emerge stronger in the aftermath of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese are broadly unhappy with their own government’s handling of the catastrophe, but there is considerable praise for the U.S. Most Japanese, however, also foresee a rocky economic road ahead.
Five Years After Hurricane Katrina
Most Americans say that the nation is no better prepared for hurricanes and other natural disasters than it was in 2005. However, the public does see progress in rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf region.
How the Media Covered the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster
The disaster in the Gulf dominated the news for the 100 days following the initial rig explosion. A media analysis finds the mainstream press spent considerable time reporting from the region and humanizing the crisis.
Oil Spill Seen As Ecological Disaster
Americans are critical of the government’s response to the environmental disaster in the Gulf, but even more so of BP. Support for offshore oil drilling is down, though Republican opinion is unchanged.
Mother Nature Makes News
A trio of tragedies — a typhoon, a tsunami and an earthquake — combined to make Sept. 28-Oct. 4 the second-biggest week of natural disaster coverage in 2009, confirming again the tendency of network newscasts to devote significant coverage to such disasters. An interactive feature charts media coverage of these and other disasters of recent years.
No Longer in the News, Earthquake Survivors Face a Painful Recovery
Media focus in China turned away weeks ago from the May 12 earthquake to the Beijing Olympics, but a journey through the heart of the destruction reveals the immense task faced by the people of Sichuan, already poor, to recreate their lives.
Tracking China’s Earthquake on TV and the Internet – Part II
In a second dispatch, our Beijing correspondent reports that Chinese TV is back to being the voice of the government. Meanwhile, the internet has become a more wild-west version of itself, with a virtual explosion of content that runs the gamut from informative to creative, irresponsible, angry, maudlin…
