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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13102404/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This document assesses the Chilean media’s reaction to the magnitude 8.8 February 27, 2010 earthquake and associated tsunami, particularly its role in shaping the subsequent political agenda and the public’s perception by addressing questions of accountability in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and throughout the recovery period. As the 2010 earthquake and tsunami battered Chile’s coastline, a confluence of circumstances came together to compound the impact of the event. The document begins with an in-depth analysis of the response to the disaster by the various agencies operating within the National System of Civil Protection, highlighting their failures to coordinate their activities, and the resulting confusion. During the disaster, the national emergency response system was significantly incapacitated by a troubling collapse of the country’s communication network. This complicated inter-agency communication, and most problematically, stalled the dissemination of emergency warnings to the population. This became particularly devastating as the tsunamis struck towns along the country’s coast. Another factor impacting the coherence of the government’s emergency response discussed within the document was the political transition occurring at the time, as President Michelle Bachelet’s administration transferred authority to then President-elect, Sebastián Piñera. The author looks at the “blame game” that ensued as both tried to influence public perception about their role in managing the disaster. The document also looks at the various technical challenges involved in addressing a disaster of that magnitude. Throughout the document these issues are placed within the context of the media’s role in framing the public agenda, specifically around the issues of government responsibility and public accountability. The media is often a key actor during disasters, influencing the discourse surrounding the government’s role in preparing for the imminent threat and responding when disaster actually occurs. Unfortunately, little emphasis has been placed on the media’s potential to hold government accountable for implementing proactive disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies when the possibility of disaster is not looming large. The document calls on the media to play a more active role in promoting hazard, vulnerability, and risk assessment to support and inform DRR policymaking during periods when disaster is not on the public mind, moving government away from a disaster response bias towards a disaster prevention bias. ( English )
- Subject:
- Disaster Response ( English )
- Preferred Citation:
- Hoberman, G. (2010). Media and the “politics of disaster” in the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean. Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas Program, Florida International University.
- General Note:
- Quick Response Report
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- All rights reserved by the source institution.
- Resource Identifier:
- FI13102404
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