DOCSLIB.ORG

The Media's Representation of Airplane Disasters

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Media's Representation of Airplane Disasters The Media’s Representation of Airplane Disasters: An Analysis of Themes, Language and Moving Images Julia Maria Boelle A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Journalism, Media and Culture Cardiff University April 2020 - II - This thesis is dedicated to those affected by the fateful flights of Malaysia Airlines 370, Germanwings 9525, Air France 447, Malaysia Airlines 17, Indonesia AirAsia 8501, Metrojet 9268, EgyptAir 804, Saratov Airlines 703, Lion Air 610 and Ethiopian Airlines 302. - III - - IV - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Professor Karin Wahl-Jorgensen and Professor Jenny Kitzinger for their guidance, expertise and encouragement in the production of this work. Without your help, this thesis would not have been possible. Special thanks are also due to Matthew Pudner for his help as a second coder in the intercoder-reliability test and Ben Jones for proof-reading. I am incredibly grateful for the time you have invested. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends, and especially my parents, for their love and continuing support. I could not have gone on this journey without you. - V - - VI - ABSTRACT This thesis examines the representation of airplane disasters in broadcast news. Although airplane incidents tend to receive a disproportionate amount of media coverage, research is lacking in journalism studies and disaster communication on how these disasters are reported in traditional mainstream media and broadcast news. These news sources are dominant in the UK and, given the extensive coverage attributed to airplane disasters, have the power to shape our understanding of the incidents. By drawing on relevant concepts from the academic literature, this thesis establishes that the representation of airplane disasters can be understood through several key features: media interest, the topics of the broadcasts, the causes and responses to the incidents, emotionality and ‘suffering’, safety and risk, uncertainty, ignorance and speculation as well as different types of visuals. The findings contribute to knowledge in journalism studies and disaster communication more generally as they refine our understanding of the concepts of speculation, emotionality and risk, and the visuals of television news. The research also suggests that there may be a shift in television news from traditional journalism to a more narrative form of reporting, which produces compelling coverage in line with ideals to ‘objectivity’ and truth- telling. - VII - - VIII - CONTENTS Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. V Abstract …. ........................................................................................................... VII List of tables ....................................................................................................... XII List of figures ..................................................................................................... XIV List of text boxes ............................................................................................... XVII Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature review .................................................................................. 7 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 7 2.2. What is a ‘disaster’? ...................................................................................... 7 2.3. The role of the media during disasters ....................................................... 11 2.4. New media and disasters ........................................................................... 16 2.5. Reporting disasters ..................................................................................... 17 2.6. Journalism, disasters and emotions .......................................................... 21 2.7. The mediation of ‘suffering’ ....................................................................... 25 2.8. News reports and the representation of ‘suffering’ ................................... 28 2.9. The mediation of risk ................................................................................. 33 2.10. Airplane disasters and the media .............................................................. 39 2.11. Media speculation and uncertainty ........................................................... 46 2.12. Aviation terrorism ...................................................................................... 48 2.13. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 52 Chapter 3: Methodology ....................................................................................... 55 3.1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 55 3.2. Mixed methods ........................................................................................... 55 3.3. Research questions .................................................................................... 56 3.4. Content analysis ......................................................................................... 58 - IX - 3.5. Thematic analysis ....................................................................................... 59 3.6. Discourse analysis ...................................................................................... 61 3.7. Visual analysis ............................................................................................ 63 3.8. Research design ......................................................................................... 65 3.9. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 72 Chapter 4: General patterns in airplane disaster news ....................................... 73 4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 73 4.2. Media interest ............................................................................................ 73 4.3. Topics of the broadcasts ............................................................................. 77 4.4. Causes of the disasters ............................................................................... 82 4.5. Responses to the disasters ......................................................................... 95 4.6. Conclusion ................................................................................................. 113 Chapter 5: The mediation of emotionality and ‘suffering’ ................................. 117 5.1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 117 5.2. Disasters and emotionality ....................................................................... 117 5.3. Emotional content ..................................................................................... 118 5.4. Stylistic features ....................................................................................... 127 5.5. Conclusion .................................................................................................137 Chapter 6: The representation of safety, risk, uncertainty, ignorance and speculation ....................................................................................... 139 6.1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 139 6.2. Safety and risk .......................................................................................... 140 6.3. Uncertainty and ignorance ...................................................................... 160 6.4. Speculation ............................................................................................... 170 6.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................. 181 Chapter 7: The visual representation of airplane disaster news ....................... 185 7.1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 185 7.2. Visuals and the media .............................................................................. 185 - X - 7.3. Interviews and press conferences ............................................................ 187 7.4. Disaster operation and (potential) crash location ................................... 195 7.5. Supporting visuals and informational graphics ...................................... 202 7.6. Grief, commemoration and death ........................................................... 208 7.7. Culpability ................................................................................................ 223 7.8. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 225 Chapter 8: Discussion and conclusion ............................................................... 227 References ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 237 Appendix A: The broader application of research findings ............................... 265 Appendix B: Coding sheet .................................................................................. 303 Appendix C: References of the broadcasts ........................................................ 307 Appendix D: SPSS tables ...................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide
    F FAA-G-8082-22 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide August 2016 Flight Standards Service Washington, DC 20591 This page intentionally left blank. Preface The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published the Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Study Guide to communicate the knowledge areas you need to study to prepare to take the Remote Pilot Certificate with an sUAS rating airman knowledge test. This Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide is available for download from faa.gov. Please send comments regarding this document to [email protected]. Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide i This page intentionally left blank. Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide ii Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 Obtaining Assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) .............................................. 1 FAA Reference Material ...................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Applicable Regulations .......................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2: Airspace Classification, Operating Requirements, and Flight Restrictions .............. 5 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • SULLY's SPLASHDOWN: a Story of Redemption for Pilots the Recession
    AKERS...EUROPE’S ETS PROVES TO BE A FIASCO FOR OPERATORS...NEWSMAKERS...PLATINUM JET EXECS, EMPLOYEES INDICTED...NEWSMAKERS...START-UP FRAX JET REPUBLIC F O L D S . N E W S M A K E R S . F A A A C T S Q U I C K L Y I N NEWSmak2009ers INSIDE: I Sully’s splashdown pg 22 I The recession takes its toll pg 22 I Santulli ejects from NetJets pg 23 I Negative portrayal of bizjets pg 23 I Northwest pilots overfly MSP pg 23 I Europe’s ETS proves a fiasco pg 24 S R E T JetDirect collapse pg 24 U I E R / D I SULLY’S SPLASHDOWN: TSA revises LASP proposal pg 24 M I R E D C M Colgan crash ignites questions pg 26 N I A D A story of redemption for pilots N E R Eclipse Aerospace pg 26 B I NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR I Hudson River midair pg 28 K C I Platinum Jet workers indicted pg 28 N I P hen Capt. Chesley “Sully” going to be in the Hudson.” E O K Sullenberger brought the aft Only a fellow pilot, aware of the slim odds Jet Republic collapses pg 30 M I I belly skin of his US Airways for putting an airliner down in water without J Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (left) and FAA approves Waas upgrades pg 30 WAirbus A320 into contact breaking apart in the process, can fully appre- First Officer Jeffrey Skiles brought some glory I with the cold water of New York’s Hudson ciate the enormity of what confronted Sully to the airline pilot profession.
    [Show full text]
  • Broadcast Bulletin Issue Number 285 17/08/15
    Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 285 17 August 2015 1 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 285 17 August 2015 Contents Introduction 5 Notice of Sanction Yoga for You Lamhe TV, 17 June 2014, 09:30 7 Note to Broadcasters 9 Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising Standards cases In Breach Britain’s Got Talent ITV, 31 May 2015, 19:30 10 News Geo News, 7 May 2015, 08:00 and 14:00 17 Different Anglez New Style Radio 98.7 FM, 7 May 2015, 10:00 19 News ARY News, 7 May 2015, 11:10 and 14:05 21 News Samaa, 7 May 2015, 14:30 23 News Dunya News, 7 May 2015, 17:30 25 Resolved Off Their Rockers: Blue Badge Special (trailer) ITV, 30 May to 1 June 2015, various times pre-watershed. 27 Funded Factual Programmes cases Funded Factual Programmes: managing risks to editorial independence and ensuring viewer confidence 30 Assessment of programmes produced by FactBased Communications and other funded content BBC World News, CNBC and CNN International 33 FBC-produced programming BBC World News, various dates between 14 February 2009 and 2 July 2011 34 2 Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 285 17 August 2015 Sponsored programmes BBC World News, various dates between 23 October 2009 and 4 June 2011 49 World Business CNBC, various dates between 17 December 2010 and 22 July 2011. 77 Marketplace Middle East and Quest Means Business CNN International, various dates between 6 March 2009 and 13 July 2011 95 Sponsored programmes CNN International, various dates between 14 August 2009 and 4 August 2012 115 Advertising Scheduling cases In Breach Advertising minutage
    [Show full text]
  • Magisterarbeit / Master's Thesis
    MAGISTERARBEIT / MASTER’S THESIS Titel der Magisterarbeit / Title of the Master‘s Thesis Wahrnehmung und Bewertung von Krisenkommunikation Eine Untersuchung am Beispiel des Flugzeugunglücks der Lufthansa-Tochter Germanwings am 24. März 2015 verfasst von / submitted by Raffaela ECKEL, Bakk. phil. angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magistra der Philosophie (Mag. phil.) Wien, 2016 / Vienna, 2016 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: A 066 841 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft Betreut von / Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Einwiller Eidesstattliche Erklärung Ich erkläre hiermit an Eides statt, dass ich die vorliegende Arbeit selbstständig und ohne Benutzung anderer als der angegebenen Hilfsmittel angefertigt habe. Die aus fremden Quellen direkt oder indirekt übernommenen Gedanken sind als solche kenntlich ge- macht. Die Arbeit wurde bisher in gleicher oder ähnlicher Form keiner anderen Prü- fungsbehörde vorgelegt und auch noch nicht veröffentlicht. Wien, August 2016 Raffaela Eckel Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Einführung und Problemstellung ......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Theoretische Hinführung: Beitrag der Wissenschaft zu einer gelungenen Krisenkommunikation.................................................................................................... 2 1.2
    [Show full text]
  • A Quiet Revolution
    A quiet revolution The moral economies shaping journalists’ use of NGO-provided multimedia in mainstream news about Africa Katherine Wright Goldsmiths, University of London A thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Media and Communications 2014 1 Declaration I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. 2 Acknowledgements With grateful thanks to my study participants for their time, trust and candour - without you there would be no study. I also want to thank my supervisor, Natalie Fenton, who manages to combine the sharpest of minds with the warmest of hearts. Your support has meant so much to me over the past few years. The encouragement and constructive criticism of others at Goldsmiths has also been invaluable, especially Aeron Davis, Des Freedman and Gholam Khiabany, who all kindly read drafts of chapters for me. Next, I want to note my debt to my dear colleagues in Journalism at the University of Roehampton. I especially want to thank Ros Coward, whose passionate belief that practitioners should ‘get into’ research started me off down this route in the first place. In addition, the words of advice and support from colleagues at other institutions have been really helpful, especially those of Mel Bunce, Lilie Chouliaraki, Glenda Cooper, Nick Couldry, Shani Orgad, Chris Paterson, Martin Scott, Helen Yanacopulos and Silvio Waisbord.
    [Show full text]
  • A Clean Slate Airbus Pivots to Hydrogen For
    November 2020 HOW NOT TO DEVELOP DEVELOP TO NOT HOW FIGHTERYOUR OWN SPACE THREATS SPACE AIR GETSCARGO LIFT A A CLEAN SLATE AIRBUS HYDROGEN TO PIVOTS FOR ZERO-CARBON ‘MOONSHOT’ www.aerosociety.com AEROSPACE November 2020 Volume 47 Number 11 Royal Aeronautical Society 11–15 & 19–21 JANUARY 2021 | ONLINE REIMAGINED The 2021 AIAA SciTech Forum, the world’s largest event for aerospace research and development, will be a comprehensive virtual experience spread over eight days. More than 2,500 papers will be presented across 50 technical areas including fluid dynamics; applied aerodynamics; guidance, navigation, and control; and structural dynamics. The high-level sessions will explore how the diversification of teams, industry sectors, technologies, design cycles, and perspectives can all be leveraged toward innovation. Hear from high-profile industry leaders including: Eileen Drake, CEO, Aerojet Rocketdyne Richard French, Director, Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems, Rocket Lab Jaiwon Shin, Executive Vice President, Urban Air Mobility Division, Hyundai Steven Walker, Vice President and CTO, Lockheed Martin Corporation Join fellow innovators in a shared mission of collaboration and discovery. SPONSORS: As of October 2020 REGISTER NOW aiaa.org/2021SciTech SciTech_Nov_AEROSPACE PRESS.indd 1 16/10/2020 14:03 Volume 47 Number 11 November 2020 EDITORIAL Contents Drone wars are here Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission What happens when ‘precision effects’ from the air are available to everyone? The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets aeronautical intelligence, and social media feedback. Nagorno-Karabakh is now the latest conflict where a new way of remote analysis and comment. war is evolving with cheap persistent UAVs, micro-munitions and loitering 58 The Last Word anti-radar drones, striking tanks, vehicles, artillery pieces and even SAM 11 Pushing the Envelope Keith Hayward considers sites with lethal precision.
    [Show full text]
  • Thy Investor Relations
    TURKISH AIRLINES 1Q’19 Results Summary 1 Key Financial Data IFRS16 2017 2018 Change (USD mn) 1Q'18 1Q'19 Change Impact 10.958 12.855 17,3% Revenue 2.763 2.768 0,2% - 9.403 10.918 16,1% Passenger Revenue 2.303 2.275 -1,2% - 1.317 1.647 25,1% Cargo Revenue 386 406 5,2% - 794 1.169 47,2% Net Operating Profit / Loss 3 -203 - +9 1.022 1.191 16,5% Profit From Main Operations 41 -150 - +9 223 753 237,7% Net Income -86 -229 - -4 2,0% 5,9% 3,8 pt Net Income Margin -3,1% -8,3% -5,2 pt - 3.017 3.349 11,0% EBITDAR 528 358 -32,1% +5 27,5% 26,0% -1,5 pt EBITDAR Margin 19,1% 12,9% -6,2 pt - 2 Revenue Development (1Q’18 vs 1Q’19) (mn USD) Cargo and Other Load Factor Pax RASK Revenue (Ex- Volume Currency (Ex-Currency, Ex- Currency) -13 L/F) +51 +54 -192 +105 2.275 2.303 Passenger (%-1) Cargo (%5) 386 406 Other (%18) 74 87 ∑ 2.763 Total Revenue (%0) ∑ 2.768 1Q’18 1Q’19 3 Unit Revenue Development RASK (USc) %1,8 %10,9 6,30 6,44 6,01 5,90 5,81 5,56 1Q'18 1Q'19 1Q'19 ex-currency 2017 2018 2018 ex-currency R/Y (Usc) %5,3 %9,3 7,50 7,22 7,32 6,86 6,66 6,87 1Q'18 1Q'19 1Q'19 ex-currency 2017 2018 2018 ex-currency R/Y: Revenue Yield : Passenger Revenue / RPK (Scheduled and Unscheduled) RASK: Passenger and Cargo Revenue / ASK* (Scheduled and Unscheduled) *ASK value is adjusted for cargo operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Crisis Communication
    Crisis communication The case of the airline industry during the COVID-19 pandemic Marlies Nittmann Supervisor: Robert Ciuchita Department of Marketing Hanken School of Economics Helsinki 2021 i HANKEN SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS Department of: Type of work: Marketing Master’s Thesis Author: Date: 31.3.2021 Marlies Nittmann Title of thesis: Crisis Communication: The case of the airline industry during the COVID-19 pandemic Abstract: Due to the increasing frequency of crises and the diversification of their causes, a wide range of research has been completed in this field. However, the crisis communication literature has not yet thoroughly covered the topic of public health crises and the corporate communication during such a global event. Further, examples of crisis communication used by companies in particular industries are limited. Therefore, this thesis studies the crisis communication literature to receive a better understanding of the theory before looking at the corporate communications from four European airline companies. A comparative case study approach is used in order to receive an insight into the communication strategies applied by the aviation industry during a pandemic. A quantitative study is conducted, and the web pages, newsletters and press releases are analysed. Based on the conducted research, six main topics of communication are established and compared to the previous findings of the literature. Even though the four case companies share similar information with their stakeholders, they differ in the way they approach the messages, how they communicate and when they engage with their stakeholders. This study adds to the crisis communication literature focusing on public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to the literature covering crisis communication in the aviation industry.
    [Show full text]
  • Aerosafety World November 2009
    AeroSafety WORLD DOUSING THE FLAMES FedEx’s automatic system CRM FAILURE Black hole approach UPSET TRAINING Airplane beats simulators IASS REPORT 777 power rollback, more TRAGEDY AS INSPIRATION JAPAN Airlines’ safeTY CENTER THE JOURNAL OF FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION NOVEMBER 2009 “Cessna is committed to providing the latest safety information to our customers, and that’s why we provide each new Citation owner with an FSF Aviation Department Tool Kit.” — Will Dirks, VP Flight Operations, Cessna Aircraft Co. afety tools developed through years of FSF aviation safety audits have been conveniently packaged for your flight crews and operations personnel. These tools should be on your minimum equipment list. The FSF Aviation Department Tool Kit is such a valuable resource that Cessna Aircraft Co. provides each new Citation owner with a copy. One look at the contents tells you why. Templates for flight operations, safety and emergency response manuals formatted for easy adaptation Sto your needs. Safety-management resources, including an SOPs template, CFIT risk assessment checklist and approach-and-landing risk awareness guidelines. Principles and guidelines for duty and rest schedul- ing based on NASA research. Additional bonus CDs include the Approach and Landing Accident Reduction Tool Kit; Waterproof Flight Operations (a guide to survival in water landings); Operator’sMEL Flight Safety Handbook; item Turbofan Engine Malfunction Recognition and Response; and Turboprop Engine Malfunction Recognition and Response. Here’s your all-in-one collection of flight safety tools — unbeatable value for cost. FSF member price: US$750 Nonmember price: US$1,000 Quantity discounts available! For more information, contact: Namratha Apparao, + 1 703 739-6700, ext.
    [Show full text]
  • From Callaghan to Credit Crunch
    From Callaghan to Credit Crunch: Changing Trends in British Television News 1975-2009 Steven Barnett and Gordon Neil Ramsay, University of Westminster, and Ivor Gaber, University of Bedfordshire January 2012 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 2 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 11 3. Results I: Overall News Trends .................................................................................................... 14 4. Results II: Subcategory Analysis .................................................................................................. 25 5. Qualitative Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 27 6. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 33 Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 36 Acknowledgements This study has been funded by the Leverhulme Trust. We are very grateful to the Trust for enabling us to continue our analysis and provide the
    [Show full text]
  • Optimisation of Flight Movements in Europe
    Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Optimisation of Flight Movements in Europe Alexander Nollau Friedrich Thießen Chemnitz Economic Papers, No. 029, January 2019 Chemnitz University of Technology Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Thüringer Weg 7 09107 Chemnitz, Germany Phone +49 (0)371 531 26000 Fax +49 (0371) 531 26019 https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/wirtschaft/index.php.en [email protected] Professur für Finanzwirtschaft und Bankbetriebslehre Fakultät für Wirtschaftswissenschaften Optimisation of Flight Movements in Europe Possibilities for reducing the number of flight movements in Europe, taking the quality of the connections into account Alexander Nollau, Friedrich Thießen Aviation Working Group TU Chemnitz Prof. Dr. Friedrich Thießen [email protected] Tel. 0371-531-34174 January 2019 Optimisation of Flight Movements in Europe Possibilities for reducing the number of flight movements in Europe, taking the quality of the connections into account 1 Abstract Many current problems in air traffic are related to the number of aircraft movements. Overcrowding in the airspace, difficult coordination at airports, high emissions of noise and pollutants as well as complexity of airlines are side effects of too many aircraft movements. This study examines the extent to which the number of flight movements in Europe can be reduced without change in transport performance. For this purpose, the number of flight movement for a European network of the 140 most frequently flown serviced routes will be optimised. The reference date is November 17th, 2017. It shows that with the same passenger transport performance, the number of flight movements can be re- duced to 1/3 of the current level (from 2.040 flights per day to 738 flights per day).
    [Show full text]
  • Inside the 'Hermit Kingdom'
    GULF TIMES time out MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2009 Inside the ‘Hermit Kingdom’ A special report on North Korea. P2-3 time out • Monday, August 10, 2009 • Page 3 widespread human rights abuses, to the South Korean news agency Traffi c lights are in place, but rarely is a luxury. although many of their accounts Yonhap, he has described himself as used. North Korea has a long history of inside date back to the 1990s. an Internet expert. Pyongyang’s eight cinemas are tense relations with other regional According to a report from the He is thought to have fi nally said to be frequently closed due powers and the West — particularly UN High Commission for Human annointed the youngest of his three to lack of power; when open, they since it began its nuclear Rights this year: “The UN General sons Kim Jong-un as his heir and screen domestic propaganda movies programme. China is regarded Assembly has recognised and “Brilliant Comrade”, following with inspiring titles such as The Fate as almost its sole ally; even so, condemned severe Democratic his reported stroke last year. Even of a Self-Defence Corps Man. relations are fraught, based as much People’s Republic of Korea human less is known about this leader- The state news agency KCNA as anything on China’s fear that rights violations including the in-waiting. Educated in Bern, runs a curious combination of brief the collapse of the current regime use of torture, public executions, Switzerland, the 25-year-old is said news items such as its coverage of could lead to a fl ood of refugees and extrajudicial and arbitrary to be a basketball fan.
    [Show full text]